Little Inspiration
by LannaJon4EVA
Summary: Harry has changed and the Girls are fawning. All except one. Voldie poses a new threat and Harry finds himself in a struggle for good, love and honour. COMPLETE
1. Prologue

Hey guys, here's another story I started writing, which I hope you like!!!!  
  
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!  
  
Just a few things before you start reading, this story happens in their sixth year, and all the events in the books so far occur as they are, EXCEPT the fact that Sirius doesn't die at the end of the fifth book. It just screwed up the whole story so I had to change it.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters or settings in the following story, except the plot and of course, Lara.  
  
ENJOY!  
  
PROLOGUE  
  
Harry wheeled his trolley through the platform, stopping before the gateway. He didn't even bother looking back at the Dursleys, who he was sure were already walking back to car. He had just spent too many glorious summer days doing back breaking labour for his wonderful family, weeding gardens for Petunia, walking Dudleys new Jack Russel (which Harry insisted had some sort of mental disease; much like his owner) and doing odd jobs for Uncle Vernon. It was hardly a surprise that he was dearly looking forward to going back to school. Of course, the hours of back breaking labour had done some good. The weedy little boy that had left Hogwarts at the end of fourth year had grown into a man. Broad shoulders, tanned skin and messy hair that no longer looked wild but... and there's no other word for it... sexy. The most striking change in Harry's appearance, however, were his eyes. No longer hidden by thick framed glasses (having fixed his eyes with a quick spell) they now shone a brilliant emerald green. The final change in his appearance was his clothes. Hermione had gotten sick and tired of Harry walking around in what looked like bits of dyed elephant skin. She had sent him an entire wardrobe from France (where she had stayed over the holidays.) To Harry's surprise, he found he liked Hermione's choice in clothes for him. As of now, he was wearing a green button down shirt and baggy black pants, accompanied with a silver necklace she had also gotten him.  
  
There was no doubt about it, the new Harry was looking good.  
  
Harry walked though the barrier in front of him slowly, enjoying the feeling as the brick wall melted away into platform nine and three quarters. He smiled as he saw the familiar faces of his friends run around the platform, hugging their parents and squealing in delight at finally reuniting after a long summer.  
  
Lugging his trunk off the trolley, Harry dragged it onto the train and started to look for Ron and Hermine. Near the end of the train, he heard Ron's voice and Hermione laughter coming from the final compartment. Sweating slightly from the exertion of carrying his heavy trunk for quite a way, he managed to shove it into the over head compartment before sliding open the compartment door. He smiled as he saw Hermione and Ron talking animatedly about their holidays, both of which they had spent away.  
  
"Bloody hell." Harry said exasperatedly, collapsing into the seat beside Ron. "Couldn't find a more convenient spot?"  
  
"Naa mate, we decided to see how much we could annoy you and get the one furthest away." Ron said, leaning back against the window and putting his feet up on the seat.  
  
"Nothing you can do could annoy me Ron, I've just spent a summer with the Dursleys."  
  
"Good point. What did they make you do this time?"  
  
"It was worse than any other year, I had to do phsycial work this time, can you believe it? I was slaving away out in the sun all holidays. I wouldn't be surprised if I dropped dead of cancer or something."  
  
"You wouldn't, mediwitches have cures for cancer." Ron said casually.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"With all those muggles dying out there, you couldn't spare them the formula, just to save a couple hundred lives?"  
  
"It's not a potion, it's a spell. Too much magic for them." Harry frowned at this but let it pass. He turned his attention to Hermione, who he had just realized had not said a word the whole time.  
  
"What's up Hermione? Haven't heard a peep out of you." Hermione still didn't reply. She just continued to stare at Harry with a look, which he soon recognized as shock.  
  
"What's wrong Mione?" Ron said, also turning to their friend.  
  
"Y...you... my... clothes... what did you do to yourself?" She finally managed to get out. Harry frowned.  
  
"You don't like the clothes? You gave them to me! Or did I just match them up wrong? I don't know, I've never worn stuff like this before..."  
  
"N...no... that hair, the glasses, everything's changed."  
  
"She's right mate, you do look different. Your hair isnt a pile of rat's tails anymore."  
  
"Aww gee, thanks dude, I appreciate it." Ron grinned. "But what about the hair? It just tamed itself over the holidays, that's all."  
  
"And where are your glasses?"  
  
"Oh, I threw them out. I paid a visit to Diagon Alley and had a witch fix my eyes up. Those ruddy things kept breaking and I couldn't fix them while away from school." Harry said vaguely.  
  
"But y...your s...shoulders?"  
  
"What about my shoulders?" Harry said impatiently, annoyed at Hermione's vague behavior. "Seriously Hermione, what's gotten into you?" Harry asked, slightly worried. Hermione seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in.  
  
"Oh... sorry Harry, I got a bit... I just sorta went out of it." She finished lamely, blushing slightly. Harry frowned.  
  
"So what's wrong with my shoulders?"  
  
"They're... well they're wider."  
  
"Yeah... she's right. And what's this?" Ron said, picking up Harry's arm and feeling the upper half.  
  
"It's my arm Ron." Harry said rather sarcastically.  
  
"It's muscle, that's what it is." Ron said, dropping the arm. "Probably from all that work you said you did. Have you got a six pack too?" Harry gave Ron a weird look before lifting up the bottom half of his shirt. Sure enough, Harry's tanned stomach had a perfectly formed six pack. Harry looked up at Hermione just in time to see her blush again before dropping the shirt.  
  
"You guys are acting sorta weird around me. You're not planning anything against me are you?"  
  
"Naa man, you just look a bit different."  
  
"A bit? Look at him!" Hermione said shrilly. Suddenly the compartment door slid open and Lavender walked in, already dressed and a shiny prefects badge on her robes.  
  
"I've been looking everywhere for you guys. Do you know who the other prefect is?" She said, cutting straight to the chase. She was never one with formalities.  
  
"Oh yeah, that'd be me." Harry said, suddenly remembering the letter he had gotten over the summer. "Hang on, why does she have a badge? I thought you were sure thing for prefect!" Harry said, frowning at Hermione.  
  
"I was offered, but I'm taking too many extra subjects this year. Couldn't handle anything else." Hermione said, waving it off.  
  
"Harry!" Lavender said, eyeing him like he was a much desired candy cane. "What have you done to yourself?" Harry frowned at this.  
  
"Why does everyone keep telling me that?" He cried impatiently.  
  
"You mean you haven't noticed anything different about your appearance?"  
  
"Of course I have, a change in hair style, I lost the glasses, but really, it's not some big news item."  
  
"Poor, naïve Harry. You have no idea do you?" Lavender said, smiling softly at him.  
  
"About what?" Harry snapped, his impatience bubbling over.  
  
"You, and your new look. I don't know what you've been taking, but don't stop!" Lavender said, grinning, before walking out of the compartment, her hips swaying a little more than they had upon entrance.  
  
"WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT ABOUT?" Harry cried, finally reaching the limits of his patience.  
  
"That, Harry, was about you turning irresistible over summer." Hermione said matter of factly, having recovered from her earlier shock.  
  
"Irresistible?" Harry repeated, clearly confused as to the meaning of the word.  
  
"Yes. You've turned yourself into some... sex god..." Hermione said vaguely, obviously regretting her choice of words.  
  
"What?" Ron spluttered. "Sex god? Harry's not... I mean he never... have you?" Ron finished, eyeing his friend suspiciously.  
  
"No! I'm sixteen, bloody hell! What are you talking about Hermione?"  
  
"I don't mean literally." Hermione said, exasperated at having to explain the simplest of concepts to her two friends. "Harry's become... er... how shall I put this... sexy..." Harry's eyebrows disappeared under his locks of hair. This look of doubt was suddenly replaced with one of understanding as apprehension dawned on his face.  
  
"Oh." He said simply. Ron looked at him out of the corner of his eye, studying Harry from a distance. His friend shifted uncomfortably, his green eyes portraying his confusion and nervousness at the situation.  
  
"If all the girls act like Lavender, you're gonna have an interesting year." Ron said. Harry looked at his friend, and then started laughing.  
  
"I... I don't believe this... did you... did you see her face?" Harry said between laughters. Ron grinned back at his friend, then started laughing too.  
  
"You two should be ashamed at yourselves! How is Harry going to concentrate with all these... these girls following him around!" Hermione snapped.  
  
"Mione, if I'm not too mistaken, you're a girl." Ron said, winking at their friend. "And you seemed a bit speechless back there... did Harry's sexiness just, blow you away?" He said, sniggering. Harry joined in with his friend.  
  
"I was just a bit shocked, that's all!" Hermione said, blushing. The two boys laughed even harder at this. Harry grinned, happy the uncomfortable moment had gone. This really was going to be an interesting year.  
  
THAT GUYZ...WOZ WRITTEN ENTIRELY BY NATTY, SO IF U LIKE IT OR EVEN IF YOU DON'T A REVIEW WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANX GUYZ LOZ 


	2. Hogwarts Express

CHAPTER ONE  
  
The three continued talking like old times, laughing and joking. It was only a few minutes after Lavender's departure when the compartment door slid open again. Parvati, Lavender and a few other Gryffindor girls crowded around the entrance, all it seemed, trying to get a look at Harry.  
  
"There he is. I told you." Lavender said proudly, pointing at the now crimson Harry. The girls filed into the squashy compartment, crowding around Harry.  
  
"Harry! Is that you?" Parvati whispered, looking at Harry in adoration.  
  
"Er... yeah..." The boy said uncertainly, shifting uncomfortably.  
  
"Finally woke up to some fashion sense?"  
  
"No actually, Hermione did." Harry said, a lot more determinedly. There was a tone in his voice that clearly said leave now. Several of the girls filed out, so only Lavender and Parvati remained.  
  
"You know Harry, I heard you were really good at defense against the dark arts." Parvati said seductively, leaning forward so that her chest was almost hanging out of the low cut shirt.  
  
"Not... r..." Harry was having difficulty shaping words. He couldn't help but stare at Parvati's breasts...  
  
"Well, I'd love to get together some time and have some... private lessons." She whispered even more seductively, making Harry's hairs stand on end.  
  
"Y...yeah... that'd... b...be great.." Harry managed to stutter out, before she sashayed out of the compartment.  
  
"I'll see you around Harry." Lavender said, casting a flirtatious wink behind her before leaving the compartment. The now vibrant red boy was still having trouble focusing his concentration.  
  
"Harry, if you can't control yourself around those girls I think you'd better re..."  
  
"I can handle myself just fine." Harry snapped, folding his arms in what was unmistakably a temper tantrum.  
  
"You sure handled the sight of Parvati's breasts awfully well. Any further and you would've been drowning in your own drool."  
  
"Well I can't help that, she was waving them around in my face. She does have nice..." Harry stopped, wide-eyed, realizing what he was about to say. Ron sniggered.  
  
"Somebody's found their hormones over the summer." He said. Harry blushed. No sooner had the three of them commenced their conversation when another group of gaggling girls entered the compartment.  
  
The routine continued several times throughout the journey, until Ron was sure that all of Hogwarts had visited their compartment at least once. No sooner had he said this when Malfoy entered, flanked by his two cronies.  
  
"I could've done without him though." Ron muttered, continuing on with his previous comment.  
  
"Hello hello Potter. I've heard you've turned yourself into some sort of sex idol over the holidays."  
  
"Sorry Malfoy, I don't swing that way. I'm into chicks not dicks." Harry said, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"You may think you're all that Potter, but I can assure you I'm still the most wanted guy in school." Malfoy said arrogantly, leaning on the side of the compartment.  
  
"Sure as hell doesn't look like it." Ron said, joining in the conversation. Malfoy glared at the red head before spinning out of the compartment. His two bodyguards followed him silently. "One more word outta him and I'll..."  
  
"Violence won't solve anything." Hermione said calmly.  
  
"This from Miss let's- slap- Malfoy." Hermione couldn't repress a smile at this memory.  
  
"Well, he deserved it." She said shortly. Ron remained unconvinced, but didn't dwell on it.  
  
The rest of the train ride went smoothly, with only a few more girls interrupting the trio's conversation. When the train arrived at Hogsmeade they hopped onto the platform and, together with Neville, grabbed a coach and climbed in.  
  
"Oi Neville. How where you're holidays?"  
  
"Great! I spent it in the Bahama's, nothing like it." Neville said enthusiastically, before launching into details of his summer. The carriage jerked into motion as Neville described the incident on the beach where he had accidentally set his grandmother's hair alight while trying to do a sun guard spell. The trio laughed as he retold the story, and all too soon they found themselves crossing the gates into the school grounds, the driverless carriages seeming to know the way.  
  
Harry jumped out of his carriage when they arrived, and saw Ginny jump out of the one in front. He noticed she had not been amongst any of the girls who had visited him during his ride, and so decided to pay her a visit. He was also curious as to her reaction to his new look, although he wouldn't admit it.  
  
"Hey Ginny, how was your summer?"  
  
"Harry!" Ginny cried, turning around and facing him. She was about to throw her arms around him in a big hug when she stopped, finally registering his appearance. Her face blushed a crimson to match Harry's earlier in the train ride. "You look... Different."  
  
"So I've heard." Harry said dryly, annoyed that even Ginny was acting weird around him. "You're not going to act strange around me are you? Coz everyone else has."  
  
"No... no..." Ginny said vaguely, although she still had not torn her eyes away from Harry's rippling chest and vibrant eyes. Harry sighed, gave Ginny a quick squeeze on the shoulder before heading back to his friends.  
  
"I'll see you around Gin!" He called after her. Ginny nodded softly, still not managing to utter words. As soon as they thought he was out of earshot, Ginny's friend, who had witnessed the event, squealed.  
  
"You lucky bitch!" Was all Harry heard before they were truly out of ear shot. Harry trudged up the stairs miserably, joining his friends in the entrance hall.  
  
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked as they entered the hall and headed towards the Gryffindor table.  
  
"Even Ginny's acting weird around me Mione. Why can't they just act normal?" Harry whined.  
  
"They'll get over it, it's just a bit of a shock that's all. We're not used to seeing you like this. And you've got to cut Ginny some slack, she's liked you for ages."  
  
"I thought she got over me last year, when she went out with Seamus."  
  
"She was, for a while. But that ended pretty quickly, and as soon as it did her heart snapped right back to you." Harry frowned. He didn't like that situation. Ginny was great and all, but he seriously doubted he would ever see her as more than a friend. Harry sighed dramatically as the last of the students filed in.  
  
"I know Harry." Hermione said softly, smiling at him before turning her attention to the front of the hall, where the first years were being sorted.  
  
I've always been the odd one out... Harry thought gloomily as McGonagall droned on.  
  
But now I've been singled even more... why can't everyone just act normal? Harry seriously doubted he would ever get a girlfriend who like him for him, and not for his looks, at this rate. What he needed was a girl oblivious to his looks... But does anyone like that even exist? 


	3. And then came Lara

CHAPTER TWO  
  
As the last student was sorted, Dumbledore rose from his seat to give the traditional start of term announcements.  
  
"Attention, boys and girls. This year, like every other year, the forbidden forest is out of bounds at any times. Do not attempt to go there if you like your head in the position it's in. Secondly, your new defense against the dark arts teacher, Professor Carotene, will be arriving later tonight, so you will not meet him until tomorrow." Harry now noticed that there was an empty spot at the teachers table. He was surprised he had not noticed it before. "Lastly, I have one final announcement. We have a n..." But Dumbledore never got to finish his sentence.  
  
Just at that moment, the double doors banged open and revealed a girl, no older than 15, walking towards the teachers table. She was wearing a very short white mini skirt and tight fitting black shirt, with a loose, emerald green button down shirt open on top. She had long brown hair that cascaded in soft curls down her back, and she had very tanned skin. Several of the guys wiped imaginary drool off their faces as she strolled in, hips swinging.  
  
"Dumbledore!" The girl yelled, obviously infuriated at something. "This is the fifth time this week you're ruddy pigeon has interrupted my holidays."  
  
"Phawkes is a phoenix." Dumbledore said calmly.  
  
"Phawkes has screwed with my well earned break! It's no easy task for me to apparate inside these grounds you know. Now what the hell is it?" She roared, stopping a few metres before the table. Several of the students exchanged whispers at this. Who was this girl? How could she apparate inside the grounds.. wasn't it impossible?  
  
"I apologize Lara, but this is urgent. I need you to stay at Hogwarts."  
  
"For how long?" She girl said exasperatedly.  
  
"Three years." Dumbledore said simply.  
  
"No." Lara said without hesitation.  
  
"I'm not giving you a choice."  
  
"I'm not asking for one, I've made my decision."  
  
"You're staying."  
  
"Why do you want me here anyway?"  
  
"Harry, he's in danger." At the mention of his name, Harry perked up from his seat. What did this girl have to do with him?  
  
"He's always in danger Dumbledore, what's new."  
  
"He's in even more danger now that Voldemort's reached his full potential."  
  
"He wouldn't have if you would just let me..."  
  
"No, the prophecy says Harry must kill him, so Harry must kill him."  
  
"Screw the prophecy Dumbledore! Lives are at stake, and you refuse to let me save them because some drugged up old toad decided to have an epileptic fit in front of you." Professor Trelawny bristled with anger at this.  
  
"I'm not drugged..."  
  
"Those perfumes you intoxicate your students with are far enough down the track to be cl..."  
  
"Enough." Dumbledore boomed. Lara stopped, crossing her arms in impatience.  
  
"So you want me to look after the Gryffindor Golden Boy for the next three years."  
  
"Until the prophecy is fulfilled."  
  
"Fine. But you realize this is your mess, I could've..."  
  
"But you didn't, doesn't that show you that fate's at work here?"  
  
"No, it just tells me that next time I'll have to come armed with fire proof armor..."  
  
"Why?" McGonnagall joined the conversation now, confused as to what they were talking about.  
  
"Voldemort sent a couple hundred demons after me on the night of his uprising." The students, who had stayed deathly silent so far, broke out into whispers at the mention of the name.  
  
"Good heavens, why?" McGonagall said, terrified.  
  
"He doesn't want me there when he confronts Harry." Lara said simply.  
  
"Why?" McGonagall persisted. Lara looked at Dumbledore questionably, as if asking if it was alright to answer. Dumbledore nodded, obviously agreeing as Lara replied.  
  
"Because he know's I can kill him." The girl said simply. The hall now broke out in even more fervent whispers as the students discussed this information.  
  
"Silence." Dumbledore boomed again. The hall went deathly quiet.  
  
"Lara, how are you going on the case for your father?" Dumbledore said softly, changing the topic of conversation. Lara sighed, looking down at the ground sadly.  
  
"I told you Albus, I need Wormtail, without him my father's a murderer." The wizened old man sat back in his chair, deep in thought. The last sentence had not meant much to most people in the hall, but to a particular trio sitting at the Gryffindor table it meant a lot.  
  
"Very well. You can continue that work while you are here. I think you'll find the library quite useful. And I know a particular trio who would love to help you out." Lara grinned at his, as Dumbledore's eyes flickered to Ron, Harry and Hermione, who were watching the conversation with interest. "I also think it's about time you told Harry the truth." Lara's smile disappeared.  
  
"No." She said simply. "Absolutely not."  
  
"You have to Lara, before Voldemort uses the information against him!"  
  
"I heard he can get really hormonal about his parents Dumbledore, I'm not about to provoke it again."  
  
"He needs to know."  
  
"I need to think of my own life in this situation."  
  
"You are going to tell him Lara, the future of the wizarding race might depend on it."  
  
"You always say that."  
  
"So you have agreed to stay?" Dumbledore asked after a short silence.  
  
"Do I have a choice?" Lara asked, knowing it was useless.  
  
"You always have choice Lara." The man said cryptically.  
  
"Do I get any say in this at all?" Harry yelled from his place across the hall. He got up from his seat and walked to stand in front of Dumbledore. The headmaster sighed, as if he had known this was coming.  
  
"Who's this?" Lara asked, looking at the boy with interest.  
  
"This, Lara, is the subject of our conversation, the hormonal one." Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling.  
  
"Potter? This is that scrawny little boy you keep sending me pictures of?" Lara asked in disbelief. Dumbledore nodded, a slight smile on his face as Lara surveyed the boy, obviously impressed.  
  
"Bit of a change... what happened? Found your sex drive?" Lara said, showing no signs of embarrassment at all. Harry, however, flushed.  
  
"N... not really..." He said nervously. Lara laughed, her melodic voice echoing in the cavernous hall like music.  
  
"Don't be cruel Lara." The girl grinned wickedly.  
  
"Professor, is this my godfather's daughter?" Harry said to the headmaster suddenly. Dumbledore frowned at this.  
  
"Yes Harry. This is Larrissa Black." Now it was Harry's turn to look at the girl standing next to him in surprise.  
  
"He never told me..."  
  
"He wouldn't."  
  
"But why..."  
  
"I think we should talk about this somewhere else Harry." Dumbledore said softly. Harry nodded, a look of confusion on his face. It didn't make sense...  
  
"Lara, you will be in sixth year, and be placed in Gryffindor. You will find a copy of your timetable on your bed. Have a good sleep tonight, we will talk tomorrow." Dumbledore said simply, clearly signalling the end of the dicussion.  
  
"Whoa... hold it. Timetables? I'm not actually attending classes am I?"  
  
"Yes, you are. I think it's about time you got back into shape, you're getting lazy and arrogant." Dumlbedore said simply.  
  
"And exams..."  
  
"You will be dismissed from those." Dumbledore replied, before dismissing the students from the hall. Immediately the level of noise rose as the students discussed what had transpired. Harry, however, was staring curiously at Lara.  
  
"I know I'm sexy Potter, but could you take your eyes of my chest for at least a minute?" The boy flushed, but quickly recovered.  
  
"You have some explaining to do." He said simply. Lara sighed. She did not want to talk about it now, but she knew she had to.  
  
"Fine, we'll talk later." She snapped.  
  
"Not later, tonight." Harry said firmly.  
  
"Fine, in the common room tonight." Lara replied wearily. Harry nodded before walking away to join his friends.  
  
"Hey wait." Lara called after him.  
  
"What?" Harry snapped back. He did not like this girl, she was crude, rude and arrogant. He didn't care if this was Sirius's daughter, she was a bitch.  
  
"Aren't you going to show me the way?" Lara said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"And why should I do that?" Harry replied nastily.  
  
"Because I'm going to be saving your ass for the next three years, so I'd start being nicer or I might accidentally. slip up."  
  
"I don't need your protection." Harry cried back.  
  
"Have you faced Voldemort in full power yet?"  
  
"No, but..."  
  
"Then don't talk about things you don't understand." Lara snapped back. Hermione, who had watched this rally from a distance, dropped behind her two friends to join Lara.  
  
"Don't worry about him, he's just a little paranoid about admitting he needs help."  
  
"So I've noticed. Larrisa Black, by the way."  
  
"Hermione Granger."  
  
"You're the smart one!" Lara said, remembering some letters Dumbledore had sent her about Harry's friends. The bushy haired girl blushed.  
  
"I wouldn't really say..."  
  
"Don't be modest Hermione." Lara said, smiling.  
  
"Well what about you? You can defeat demons, apparate inside Hogwarts grounds... what was all that about?"  
  
"It's complicated." Lara said slowly.  
  
"I've got a lot of time."  
  
"I'm talking to Harry about it tonight, join us. I don't think I can stand being alone in a room with that wanker for too long anyway."  
  
"He's not that bad..." Hermione said quickly. Lara grinned.  
  
"I think I sense a little crush here..." She said slyly.  
  
"Harry? No!" Hermione said indignantly.  
  
"So it's the freckly one then? Ron... W...w..."  
  
"Weasley." Hermione said, a slight blush creeping up her face. "And yes, it is. But he doesn't like me back." The girl said sadly, casting a wary eye forward to make sure the two boys were well in front.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I just do, we're too different."  
  
"But that doesn't stop you liking him." Lara supplied.  
  
"But that's cause he's funny and sweet and charming..." Hermione said dreamily. The other girls musical laughter rang once again through the corridor they were in.  
  
"Why you poor love sick child." Lara said, shaking her head slowly.  
  
"And what about you? Any special guy?"  
  
"Never. Quite a few have been interested..."  
  
"Not surprisingly..." Hermione added.  
  
"But they all want me for...other reasons." Larissa ignored the other girls comment.  
  
"Very obvious other reasons." Hermione added.  
  
"Yes. And you can ask your little boyfriend if he wants to hear to, but I can't tell anyone else. Top secret stuff..."  
  
"I can do a silencing charm around the common room..."  
  
"I've got a few spells up my sleeve, don't worry." Hermione didn't comment. From what she'd heard so far, this was a very powerful witch, and not one to be messed with...  
  
HEY AGAIN GUYZ YOU HAVE BEEN GOOD WITH THE REVIEWS BUT I WOULD LOVE A COUPLE MORE.  
  
LUV YA ALL  
  
LOZ AND NATTY 


	4. A little talking

CHAPTER THREE  
  
"Lotus Aurillia." A prefect called over the crowd conjugating around the portrait. The fat lady opened the door and the students filed in.  
  
"The password." Hermione whispered to Lara, who nodded in understanding.  
  
The students went up to their dorms almost immediately, a few casting curious glances at Lara before heading up the stairs. It was only about half an hour before the common room was completely empty except for Harry, Ron and Hermione.  
  
"They're listening too." Harry said firmly, obviously not taking any opposition on the matter.  
  
"Yes, they need to know this too anyways." Lara replied before dumping herself on the couch. Hermione sat herself down next to the girl and the boys each took adjacent arm chairs.  
  
"Start talking." Harry said, as soon as they were comfortable. Lara gave him a short glare before commencing her story.  
  
"You've been told your whole life that you were the only one to survive Voldemort's killing curse." Harry nodded at this. "That's a lie. What you got was only a fraction of the true curse. The real curse, hit me. I had been staying the night at your house because dad had some errands to run for the ministry. That's when Voldemort came. He hadn't come for you or your family. It was me he wanted. He knew the power I had, and he didn't want me to stand in his way once I grew up. So he decided to kill me. He just didn't realize the extent of my power. When he threw the curse, it hit me."  
  
"Where?" Hermione asked.  
  
Lara stood, pulled her shirt up to her stomach and pointed to a thin lightning shaped scar next to her belly button.  
  
"Exactly like yours mate." Ron said, squinting at it.  
  
"I know. The curse refracted off me however, and that's when it hit Harry. It was pretty weak by now, but his mother's love, as Harry already knows, saved him from harm."  
  
"So what happened to you?"  
  
"Dad came to get me. He took me to Dumbledore and asked him to care for me while he sorted a few things out. That's when he killed Peter. That's when he landed himself in jail."  
  
"But what about your mum?" Ron asked. Lara paled slightly at the mention of her mother, but slowed the sadness in her heart and replied.  
  
"Died, same night as Harry's parents. Voldemort went home first, but I wasn't there, mum had just arrived from work. He...t...tortured my whereabouts out of her." Lara stuttered slightly at the thought, a single tear welling up in her eyes but refusing to fall. The trio remained silent for a while.  
  
"But what about all this secret keeper stuff?" Harry asked after a while, still confused as to the identity of this girl.  
  
"Wormtail was the Blacks' secret keeper, not the Potters." Lara said simply.  
  
"So where have you been all these years?"  
  
"Being trained by elite wizards all over the world, kept secret by Dumbledore. He knows I can be used as a weapon against Voldemort, and the less people know about me the better."  
  
"But now?"  
  
"A year ago Voldemort found out my whereabouts and identity. He knew I was coming to Harry's aid the night of his uprising, so he enlisted the help of demons to stop me."  
  
"Did it?"  
  
"No, of course not. But it did prevent me from getting to Harry on time. When I arrived the grave yard was deserted."  
  
"How did you know I would end up there?"  
  
"I had discovered Barty's plan that night, I found some rough plans in his study."  
  
"Okay, so that explains quite a bit. Why did Sirius never mention you?"  
  
"He couldn't, he was sworn to secrecy."  
  
"But I'm his godson, he should've told..."  
  
"I'm his daughter, and my safety was worth not telling you."  
  
"You haven't even been there for him! I have!" Harry yelled, eyes flashing dangerously.  
  
"Haven't been there for him?" Lara echoed as if she couldn't believe her ears. "Haven't been there for him? Excuse me! I've visited him almost every day of my life for the last fourteen years. I've spent the year trying to gather a case to prove his innocence, but not succeeding. I miss him more than anything, and I'm killing myself over the fact that he's suffering and I can't do anything about it!" Lara ranted back, completely out of breath by the end. Harry, tactfully, didn't reply.  
  
"Okay, so we get that. But these powers of yours, what exactly does that involve?" Hermione said, trying to calm Lara down.  
  
"I'm not sure. The conditions of my birth resulted in me having some extraordinary powers. I can perform wandless magic, without incantations, do complicated spells without hesitation, stuff like that."  
  
"And the darks arts?"  
  
"Yes, I can, but only when necessary."  
  
"That's dangerous." Harry cut in.  
  
"I can handle myself." Lara snapped back.  
  
"And so can I, I don't need your help!"  
  
"Wait till you're facing Voldemort next Potter, just you wait. Your mothers little love spell won't save you then, and nor will that scar."  
  
"Leave my mum outta this!" Harry roared, rising out of his seat.  
  
"Then admit you need help!" Lara cried back, rising with him.  
  
"Never!"  
  
"Then go ahead and commit suicide Harry! One less prick in the world for me to deal with!" Lara snapped back. Before she could register what happened, she felt a smarting pain on her cheek and the taste of blood filled her mouth. When she came to her senses, she realized what had happened.  
  
"You hit me! You bastard!" Lara yelled. Before Harry could even reply Lara punched him back in the stomach. Harry bent double, winded by her ferocious punch. He recovered quickly and threw another at Lara. Soon, the two of them were in an all out brawl, beating the absolute hell out of each other.  
  
"Guys! Stop!" Hermione cried hysterically. The two Gryffindors looked up at the bushy haired girl and had the dignity to look ashamed. "What has gotten into you?" She asked both of them. They both simultaneously pointed at each other.  
  
"He started it." Lara snapped.  
  
"I did not!" Harry said indignantly, touching his eye tenderly where a bruise was sure to form the next day and wiping the blood from a cut lip. Lara bore similar injuries.  
  
"Jerk." Lara muttered.  
  
"Seems like those wonderful powers of yours don't extent to wandless fights." Harry snapped back, provoking her. Lara opened her mouth to retaliate, but was silenced by Hermione's glare.  
  
"I'm going to bed." Lara said, instead of the original insult she had intented to voice.  
  
"No, there's still one thing you need to tell us."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The prophecy."  
  
"Oh, that." Lara sighed, hauling herself back onto the couch. "Which one. There's one about Harry, and two about me."  
  
"Say all."  
  
"The one about Harry basically says that he has to kill Voldemort, or Voldemort will kill him. One of them has to happen."  
  
"Simple enough, and expected." Hermione said. "And the others."  
  
"Mine are a bit more complicated. One says that 'the child touched by the darkness,' that's me, 'will fall in love but once in her lifetime, but this love will be greater than all the loves that ever was.'"  
  
"That's interesting."  
  
"It's gay, there's no such things a love."  
  
"That's a very cynical view of life."  
  
"It's just a lot of hormones and chemical reactions."  
  
"You sad, sad child." Harry said, shaking his head slowly.  
  
"Like you'd know Scarhead." The trio went silent at this. "What? Never heard that insult before? I'm surprised cause..."  
  
"No, we have. Draco Malfoy calls him that all the time." Hermione said slowly.  
  
"That death eaters son? So what, it's just an insult."  
  
"True, but it's ironic, because you remind me of him in a lot of ways."  
  
"Gee thanks..."  
  
"Not entirely in a bad way. You're arrogant like him, you think you're Gods gift to the opposite sex, you walk and talk like him..."  
  
"She's a slimy git like him..." Harry added. Lara narrowed her eyes, about to retaliate but was silenced once again by Hermione.  
  
"And the other prophecy?" She said quickly.  
  
"This one's a lot more confusing."  
  
"And the last one wasn't." Ron moaned. He hadn't said much so far in this conversation, as he was more interested in listening than talking.  
  
"Wait till you hear this. 'This child of good and evil shall stand between the angel of light and the angel of dark, and she will lead them unto victory against evil.'"  
  
"So you're the child of good and evil."  
  
"Yes, because I'm the heir to both Slytherin and Gryffindor."  
  
"What?" Hermione cried. "How does that work, Voldemort's supposed to be the last..."  
  
"I know, and he's a liar. There was a union of a Slytherin Man and Gryffindor woman a long time ago that few knew about. I'm the product of that happy couple."  
  
"Sirius?"  
  
"Yes, he is descended from that line."  
  
"So the good and evil both lie in you."  
  
"Yes. I have the heart of goodness but a personality of evil."  
  
"I can second that." Harry muttered.  
  
"Lucky for you it's not the other way around, or you'd have found yourself a very dangerous enemy Potter." Lara said, narrowing her eyes.  
  
"Don't start." Hermione snapped. "Okay, and the evil you will be defeating is Voldemort."  
  
"Yes. Which leads me to believe that one of the angels is Potter, because he has to deliver the final blow to Voldemort to kill him. Goodness knows why they're referring to him as an angel, he's further from..."  
  
"Don't finish that sentence." Harry interrupted warningly.  
  
"Who's going to stop me?"  
  
"Okay!" Hermione said, stopping the fight before it grew out of proportion, again. "Harry's probably the angel of light, cause he's good. But who on earth could the child of dark be?"  
  
"I don't know." Lara said, leaning back in the armchair. Hermione pondered the thought for a bit.  
  
"I'll think about it. Anyways, I think it's time we went to bed, are you coming up Lara?"  
  
"Yeah, coming."  
  
"C'ya, nice meeting you by the way, Larissa isn't it?" Ron asked Lara as she rose from her seat.  
  
"Yeah, but just call me Lara. And you're Ronald Weasley. I could spot a Weasley from a mile away." Ron flushed lightly as Lara chuckled. "Don't worry, I think red hair is quite becoming on you." Lara added, before following Hermione up the stairs.  
  
"Thanks for that." Hermione said once the two girls were back in their dorms.  
  
"For what?" Lara asked as she placed her timetable in a thick black book, which Hermione suspected was a diary, and started to change.  
  
"For telling us, about all that. I know it must be hard." Lara shrugged it off.  
  
"Don't mention it." Hermione smiled as she started to change as well.  
  
"Your little boyfriend was pretty quiet though." Hermione flushed lightly.  
  
"He's quite nervous around girls."  
  
"Poor naïve guy. And Potter too. We have to change that." Lara said, grinning.  
  
"How?"  
  
"Don't worry, I'll think of something." Lara said, looking over at her friend and smiling at Hermione in a way the girl recognized, but couldn't place. Where had she seen that smile before?  
  
Only when she was on the brink of sleep did it finally hit her. The smile of Lara's, it wasn't a smile. It was a smirk. Just like Malfoy's. 


	5. Malfoy cute?

CHAPTER FOUR  
  
The next morning, Lara woke slowly, only speeding up when she saw she was a few minutes late. She dressed quickly before heading downstairs, her robe unclasped and the top buttons of her blouse undone. Hermione was sitting on the couch, reading a very thick book.  
  
"About time. I was about to go up there and wake you."  
  
"Sorry, were you waiting?"  
  
"Yeah." Lara smiled. No one had ever waited for her before.  
  
"Thanks." She said genuinely thankful for what Hermione had done, before following Hermione out the portrait hole. *****************************************************  
  
"So what have we got this morning?" Ron asked as Lara attacked a very large breakfast of toast, bacon, egg and an apple. Hermione glanced down at her timetable on the table. She blanched slightly as she scanned it.  
  
"Someone's screwed up this timetable." She said after a while.  
  
"Why?" Lara asked at the same time as Ron.  
  
"We're with the Slytherins for most classes." Harry, who had been deeply immersed in a talk about Quidditch with Seamus, stopped and turned to Hermione.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Look at this, Potions, Care of magical Creatures, as usual, but then we have Transfiguration, DADA, History of magic, Charms and Herbology with them. In fact the only time I'm free of them is in my electives." Ron and Harry where looking very alarmed at this piece of news.  
  
"What's wrong? They're just Slytherins." Lara asked.  
  
"Just Slytherins?" Ron echoed faintly. "Wait till you meet these people, they're arrogant, slimy bastards."  
  
"Yeah, I don't know why Dumbledore didn't put you in there Black." Harry said.  
  
"I think you'd do better in Hufflepuff Potter, I've heard they're a load of duffers, the lot of 'em."  
  
"I was rightfully sorted into Gryffindor." Harry decided not to mention the fact that he was almost sorted into Slytherin. The rally of insults would have continued had the hall not filled with the screeching of owls at that moment, signaling the arrival of the post. An owl soared low over the quartet and dropped a letter in front of Lara and another in front of Harry.  
  
Both of them dropped what they were eating and ripped open the letter.  
  
Hey Hun, I think Dumbledore's told you the news by now. I hope you don't mind looking after Harry, it was my idea. I'm worried about him. I hope you guys are getting on, cause I think when i'm cleared he could come stay with us. What do you think? Hope you enjoy your first day at Hogwarts Love Dad  
  
Lara almost choked on the toast in her mouth.  
  
"No!" She cried in desperation.  
  
"What is it?" Hermioe asked, worried something bad had happened.  
  
"Dad... he's going to..."  
  
"He wrote to you too?" Ron asked, peering at Harry's letter over his shoulder.  
  
"What does yours say?" Lara asked  
  
"Nothing much, just talking about you, sorry he couldn't tell you sooner, hope you get on, hope you stay outta trouble..." Ron supplied, as it was obvious Harry wasn't going to. Lara nodded.  
  
"Yours?" Harry asked, looking up from his letter.  
  
"Same." She said simply, deciding not to divulge her father's plan of taking Harry in as yet. Maybe she could still convince him otherwise...  
  
"You still haven't answered my question Hermione." Ron said, as he tore his eyes away from Harry's letter and resumed his breakfast.  
  
"What question?"  
  
"What have we got now?"  
  
"Oh!" Hermione said, obviously having forgotten. "Transfiguration." She said, casting another glance down at the timetable.  
  
"Not that bad, McGongall won't favour the Slytherins over us." Harry looked doubtful. Anything with the Slytherins was bad enough.  
  
****************************************************  
  
"Oi Weasley, nice to see you have new robes this year. How many extra years did your dad have to work in the ministry to buy them?" Malfoy yelled over the crowd of students waiting outside McGonagall's classroom. The trio and Lara had been talking to a few of their Gryffindor friends when Malfoy had interrupted.  
  
"Piss off Malfoy." Harry said, trying to hold back a livid red Ron. "At least his father's decent."  
  
"At least mine is alive." Malfoy sneered back. Now it was Harry who was livid red.  
  
"That was low Malfoy." Hermione snapped, as she struggled to hold back her two friends.  
  
"You know I don't play by the rules you filthy little Mudblood." Lara had been eyeing Malfoy during this display, summing him up. He sure was a jerk, just like the others had said. But they had never mentioned the fact that he was drop dead sexy. His blonde hair was no longer gelled back, but hung in loose bangs over his forehead. His ice-blue eyes were gray with anger at the moment, but his broad shoulders and well formed muscles failed to be hidden by the robes, which he left unclasped. Hermione narrowed her eyes in anger. She probably would've hit Malfoy if Lara hadn't stepped in and placed a hand on her shoulder, holding her back.  
  
"It's not worth it Mione." Lara whispered, giving her new friend's shoulder a tight squeeze.  
  
"Hello hello...who's this? Another of Potter's little girlfriends?" Malfoy asked, smirking at Lara as his eyes flickered up and down her frame.  
  
"He wishes." Lara drawled. Malfoy was obviously surprised by this reply. "Now leave 'em alone peroxide boy."  
  
"Leave the hair alone."  
  
"Don't, vanity doesn't suit arseholes." Draco couldn't help but smirk at this. He stepped closer to Lara, so his face was only a few inches from hers.  
  
"Fiery." He whispered seductively in her ear.  
  
"Bastard." She snapped back loudly, before turning around and walking back to her friend. She didn't turn back once, but she could feel Malfoy's gaze burning holes in her back.  
  
"What was that about?" Hermione whispered once they were seated in class and going over some revision from last year.  
  
"He finds me attractive." Lara said, sniggering.  
  
"You don't seem too upset by it." Hermione hinted.  
  
"He's a jerk, but it is flattering when the sexiest guy in school wants you." Lara said simply, without a trace of shame.  
  
"Sexy? Malfoy?" Hermione echoed. Lara grinned.  
  
"Look at him, he thinks he's God's gift to women, and in a lot of ways he's right. He's gorgeous."  
  
"He's Malfoy."  
  
"Okay, so the whole jerk thing is a bit of a turn off, but I don't like him, and I'd never go out with him. I'm just saying, he's sexy." Hermione glanced over to Malfoy, who was leaning back in his chair and watching the kettle in front of him turn from a tortoise into it's original state over and over again with a loud popping.  
  
"Okay, so maybe he is." Hermione admitted reluctantly, as Draco raked a hand through his hair. Lara chuckled at this.  
  
"What are you girls looking at?" Ron asked from where he was seated next to Harry in the row behind them.  
  
"Malfoy." Lara said simply. Ron made a face.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Don't say it..." Hermione pleaded.  
  
"Cause he's drop dead sexy." Lara said without hesitation. Hermione sighed.  
  
"You said it." The bushy haired girl said exasperatedly. Ron looked like he was going to be sick.  
  
"Ew!"  
  
"For you maybe, because you're a guy. But you won't find many girls around here that disagree." Ron seemed determined to prove this wrong as he turned around to Lavender and Parvati behind him.  
  
"Do you think Malfoy's hot?" He asked them bluntly. Parvati gave him a weird look, but answered all the same.  
  
"Hell yeah." Ron turned back to the front, looking thoroughly sickened and surprised at the same time.  
  
"Hermione doesn't like him, do you?" Harry asked. He had witnessed this conversation distractedly and only now made an input.  
  
"I don't like him. But he isn't completely unfortunate looking." Harry's eyebrows disappeared beneath his hair.  
  
"Mione, this guy called you a Mudblood."  
  
"I still hate him Harry, he's still a jerk; but it doesn't change the fact that's he's cute." Harry made a face similar to Ron's.  
  
"I'll never get girls." He said exasperatedly. Lara smirked at this as she transfigured Pansy Parkinsons' hair into worms. The girls shrieked in horror, trying to rip out the wriggling worms that inhabited her head. Lara sniggered as with a quick wave of her wand her hair reappeared, now a vibrant shade of purple.  
  
"Larrissa Black! Stop that this instant and return her hair to it's original state." Lara obeyed, not successfully hiding a smile.  
  
"Five points to Gryffindor on an excellent human transfiguration though." The Slytherin's scoffed in rage at this.  
  
"It's would've been more if you'd chosen a more tasteful way of showing your skills." McGonagall finished, holding up her hand to silence the furious Slytherins. Very few people caught her smile slightly as she glanced at Pansy, who was clutching her hair in horror and shivering like a rabid dog.  
  
"Lara!" Hermione reprimanded.  
  
"What?" She said innocently.  
  
"Can you teach me how to do that?" Ron asked, eyes shinning with excitement at the thought of the possibilities.  
  
"Ron!" Hermione said, even more outraged.  
  
"Admit it Hermione. That was cool." She didn't trust herself to reply.  
  
The rest of the week went without hiccup. The Gryffindors got used to having the Slytherins in their class, and found it wasn't so bad when the teacher wasn't obviously biased towards them. The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, who they met on Wednesday afternoon, turned out to be a wizened old man who knew his Dark Arts, and also how to make them boring as hell. Malfoy had stayed away from the quartet throughout the week, and he had not talked to Lara since the first lesson. She would, however, often find him staring at her in the middle of class, a practice she found unnerving.  
  
However what the trio dreaded most of all (and what Lara quickly learnt was worth dreading) was Potion's last thing Friday.  
  
"Seems we have a new student in the class. Larrissa Black." Snape said her name with spite, the malice absolutely dripping from his voice. "Don't think you can take it easy in this class. If I see you failing I might have to talk to Dumbledore and ask him to remove your potions NEWT.  
  
"I sat the test. I passed. I earned it. You have no right to take it away."  
  
"Don't I?" Snape said viciously, before turning his back on her and walking to the front of the class. "And ten points from Gryffindor for talking back." He said, with a half smile. Lara was about to protest when Ron and Hermione reached out and pulled her back down.  
  
"It's not worth it." Ron whispered into her ear. She crossed her arms in impatience and slumped back in her chair, but she followed her friends advice. She didn't want to get detention on a Friday afternoon.  
  
"Now class, today we are going to brush up on our hair loss potion that we did last year. Your final results were less than satisfactory, so I will repeat the assessment today. You are to work in pairs, I want a bottle of a successful hair loss potion by the end of the lesson from every pair." Now it was Hermione's turn to open her mouth in protest. Lara instinctively reached out and grabbed her.  
  
"Don't."  
  
"But that's so unfair! He taught us this potion last year! How are we supposed to remember it?"  
  
"Like you don't." Hermione didn't reply.  
  
"Well speak for yourself Mione, I have no idea." Ron said gloomily.  
  
"Neither do I!" Harry whined from the other side of Ron.  
  
"Do you seriously remember Mione?"  
  
"Yeah I do."  
  
"So do I, so how about we split up and go with the boys for this, to make sure they pass?" The bushy haired girl nodded.  
  
"If it's cool with you guys." Hermione asked Harry and Ron.  
  
"YES!" The boys cried. Apparently neither was looking forward to failing the assessment.  
  
"So who do you want to work with?" Lara asked. Hermione gave her new friend a look that plainly said isn't it obvious. Lara sighed. She knew her friend wanted to work with Ron, but that left her with Harry. I suppose I'll have to make a sacrifice, in the name of love. She thought to herself, as Ron and her switched places.  
  
"I'd complain, but I wanna pass." Harry said simply as Lara sat down in the chair next to him and he set up the cauldron. Their relationship had gotten gradually worse throughout the week, ending in four fights. One had even gotten them detention the previous evening, in which they were forced to scrub the suits of armor on the second floor for so many hours they smelt of rust even today. They only hung around together because of their mutual friendship with Hermione and Ron.  
  
Half an hour later Ron and Hermione had reached the final stage of their potion. But Mione couldn't remember what the final ingredient was.  
  
"Boomslang? No... wolfsbane? Damnit! What was it?" She whispered, biting her nails in frustration. Lara and Harry had finished their potion a few minutes ago and had already handed it to Snape in a neatly labelled bottle. Harry was pleased that he had finally passed a potion's assessment, despite having to work with Lara.  
  
Lara was itching to tell Hermione the final ingredient, but Snape was prowling around and if she so much as made a sound he would be on her like a hawk. When he had his back turned to them and was admiring Malfoys potion, Lara used the opportunity to lean across to Ron.  
  
"It's eye of newt." She said, so softly that barely Ron could hear. His eyes lit up and he muttered a small thank you.  
  
"Mione, I know, I remember! It was eye of newt!" He said, faking surprise at having remembered the final ingredient. Hermione looked at him weirdly, but one glance at Larrissa, who had a guilty look on her face, answered her unasked question.  
  
At the end of the lesson, the quartet were strutting out the door feeling very proud of themselves. They had only lost ten points, and they were all pretty confident they had passed.  
  
"By the way, Black, twenty points from Gryffindor for helping Weasley and Granger. You just assisted them in failing today's assessment." Snape said just as they were about to leave. Lara was so tempted to turn around and curse him, however with a bit of convincing from her friends she refrained.  
  
"That was so unfair!" Ron whined.  
  
"Not really, we did cheat." Hermione said  
  
"I mean the assessment Mione. As if we'd remember! I mean if you couldn't, what hope do we have?" Hermione blushed at this. Lara smiled knowingly, her matchmaker instinct bubbling over. 


	6. Unfriendly rivalvry

CHAPTER FIVE  
  
"So what is everyone doing this weekend?" Lara asked that evening after dinner, plopping herself down on a comfy couch in the common room.  
  
"Working." Hermione said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She was curled up on a couch by the fire reading a chapter of Mythical Beasts and Where to Find Them for Care of Magical Creatures.  
  
"What work?"  
  
"The tonne of homework we got this week. perhaps." Ron said, sitting on a couch near Hermione's and opening the same book.  
  
"Well I have Quidditch Trials." Harry said from his place at the table in the corner near them.  
  
"Oh yeah, you need a new keeper and chaser don't you?" Ron asked, still flipping through the book to find the correct page.  
  
"Chaser?" Hermione said, looking up from her book. "Did you loose a chaser?"  
  
"Yeah, Angelina, she got Head Girl this year and had to give up her spot or she couldn't handle it."  
  
"That's tough, she is good." Hermione commented.  
  
"I know." Harry said extremely frustrated, running a hand through his hair nervously. Several of the girls on a nearby table swooned when he did this. He tactfully chose to ignore them.  
  
"Have you got anyone in mind?" Ron asked, having found his page but reluctant to start reading.  
  
"Not really."  
  
"When are these trials?" Lara asked, interested.  
  
"Tomorrow morning, 9 o'clock on the quidditch field."  
  
"I'm there." Lara said simply.  
  
"You. ..can fly?" Harry asked, in a very doubtful voice.  
  
"I'm the best." Lara said, without a hint of modesty.  
  
"You could never outrun me on a broom."  
  
"I bet I could."  
  
"We'll see tomorrow."  
  
"What are you on the team?"  
  
"Seeker." Harry said shortly, obviously feeling this conversation was going on longer than he wanted it too.  
  
"Typical, Golden Boy has the position with the most glory."  
  
"I DON"T DO IT FOR POPULARITY." Harry yelled. The entire common room was in silence as they watched the two fight.  
  
"I DIDN'T SAY THAT!"  
  
"YOU IMPLIED IT!"  
  
"PROBABLY BECAUSE IT'S TRUE!"  
  
"YOU WOULDN'T SAY THAT IF YOU UNDERSTOOD QUIDDITCH! I don't play for the fame, I play for the game."  
  
"What are saying? I don't understand Quidditch? I bet you I could get the Snitch before you; anytime any where!" Lara said, standing up and facing Harry.  
  
"Lara, I wouldn't say that in a hurry. He's the youngest seeker in a century." Hermione said knowledgeably, book marking her page and sitting up, ready to interfere if the fight got out of hand.  
  
"At Hogwarts, perhaps. But there's a world outside this castle. I started playing Quidditch for my team when I was 10. I believe that's a year younger than you Potter." Lara said smugly.  
  
"That doesn't prove you are better." Harry snapped.  
  
"Me beating you would."  
  
"You're on!"  
  
"Tonight?"  
  
"It's dark you moron, we wouldn't be able to see it." Harry snorted.  
  
"I can put a spell on the snitch that would make it glow."  
  
"That defeats the purpose of seeking though doesn't it?"  
  
"This isn't a test of who can find it first. Anyone can look for a snitch. The trick is to catch it."  
  
"We'll get caught." Harry said.  
  
"Aww... is little Harry Warry scared of getting twouble?" Harry narrowed his eyes. "Don't worry, I know an invisibility spell."  
  
"I've got a cloak."  
  
"So do I.. but it might fall off while flying."  
  
"You have a cloak?" Harry asked, confused.  
  
"Yes." Lara said shortly.  
  
"Fine. I'll meet you back here in fifteen." With that, Harry turned around and headed back up to his dormitory. Lara went down the stairs to hers, putting on white trackies and a white tank top. She was down in the common room in five minutes. Harry, however, took the full 15. He came down in his full Quidditch Uniform, red cape flying out behind him. Lara struggled to retain a gasp. The uniform looked drop dead sexy on him. The girls however, had no need to refrain their delight. They rushed towards him, quickly surrounding him.  
  
"Oh Harry, be careful!"  
  
"You're so brave!"  
  
"I love that uniform!" Harry grinned at these comments, and couldn't help but run a gloved hand through his hair. Lara raised her eyebrows at this. Harry noticed and quickly brought his hand down, realizing the arrogance of the maneuver.  
  
"Coming."  
  
He said, excusing himself from the girls and heading through the portrait hole after Lara. The girls had wanted to watch, but it would've looked suspicious if there was a crowd of girls on the pitch ooing and aaahing at thin air.  
  
"You're getting used to the attention Potter."  
  
"I am not."  
  
"I saw that little hand through the hair move. Smooth Potter."  
  
"It was a reflex! As if you wouldn't push those mosquito bites of yours as far out of that top as you could if there was a pack of gorgeous guys around." Lara opened her mouth in shock. Then she smiled.  
  
"You're learning you are. The Harry Potter of last week would not have said that."  
  
"Don't say I'm turning into you. That's the worst insult possible." Harry said, before quickening his pace and running ahead.  
  
The two got their brooms out of the shed wordlessly and headed towards the Quidditch Pitch. Harry detoured and got the practice Snitch from the Gryffindor changing rooms. When he stepped out onto the fields Lara was already flying. And boy could she fly.  
  
It was like she wasn't on a broom, that she was simply sailing on air. She swerved and swirled, her long hair lashing out behind her. Harry stared at her for a second before snapping out of it. It would be a lie to say she wasn't beautiful. But that beauty was outshone by her bitchiness.  
  
Harry opened the box and took out the snitch, clutching it firmly in his hand. Leaving the box on the ground, he flew up to Lara's level. She stopped her antics and settled in mid-air beside him. She did a quick gesture with her hand, but nothing happened.  
  
"Nothing's happened, you've done it wrong."  
  
"No I haven't, I just made us invisible, but I also added an extra charm that meant we can still see each other." Harry raised his eyes, wondering if she was telling the truth, but then reasoned she would get in as much trouble as he would. "Pass the snitch." She commanded. Harry handed the struggling golden ball over. Another two wrist flicks later and the snitch was glowing a vibrant green, and was struggling even more frantically to escape. Lara let it go, and it zapped out of her hand, a lot faster, Harry noticed, than usual.  
  
"First one to catch it wins." Harry nodded.  
  
"One..." Harry counted. "Two...three...GO!" The two sped off after the glowing ball. It was zapping in and out of the goal posts at the moment, but as they approached it swerved away. Both flyers took a sharp turn left and flew after it, Lara's Nimbus Two Thousand and One seemingly slower than the Firebolt, but in her hands easily matching it's capability.  
  
For 15 minutes the pair flew after the glowing Snitch. Lara was surprised at how good Harry actually was, she wasn't expecting him to show this much. Harry too, was surprised at her skill. The two ducked into the trench around the edge of the pitch, following the glowing Snitch's path.  
  
It was not only a metre away from Lara's outstretched hand. Harry, beside her, kept both hands on his broom. Suddenly the Snitch swerved upwards. The two followed it's course and rose above the trench. The Snitch was now flying about a metre from the ground across the pitch. Harry stood up on his broom slowly, getting ready to lunge for the Snitch. Lara, however, was sitting sideways on her broom. She guided the broom higher and steadied herself until she was just above the Snitch. Just as Harry lunged forward she swung down, using her knees to hold onto the broom, and snatched the glowing ball millimetres from his outstretched hand.  
  
Harry landed in a heap on the ground, his broom following. Lara swung back on her broom and guided it down gently, landing gracefully on the ground.  
  
"I win." She said smugly, clutching the Snith in her hand triumphantly. Harry narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Lucky." He muttered.  
  
"Oh it had nothing to do with luck Potter, especially when your brooms a model better than mine." She grinned wickedly before flinging her broom over her shoulder and walking away, leaving a furious and dumbfounded Harry in her wake.  
  
*****************************************************  
  
"She cheated!" Harry said as he crawled through the portrait hole and slumped into his seat, arms crossed.  
  
"Don't have a hissy fit Potter." Lara snapped, following him into the common room. The inhabitants of the castle who had stayed up for their return began muttering amongst themselves. Everyone had though Harry would win.  
  
"You won?" Hermione asked, not hiding her surprise at the result.  
  
"Yeah, as much of a shock as it might be." Lara said sarcastically.  
  
"I suppose you want to be seeker then." Harry said grumpily.  
  
"I don't want to play seeker, you can keep you silly position. I want to be a Chaser. That requires some more skill."  
  
"Well you'll have to try out tomorrow."  
  
"After tonight, you still doubt my skill?"  
  
"I didn't see you throw a Quaffle." Harry said, standing up and facing her. "For all I know, your Chaser skills could suck as bad as your personality." Lara clenched her hands by her side, trying to restrain from hitting him. Hermione stood up, sensing the danger signs and intending to stop it. But she was too late. Soon enough Harry and Lara were in another fight.  
  
"Why do you insist on bashing each other up? Couldn't this little feud of yours stay verbal?"  
  
"No!" They both replied in unison before storming away to their respective dormitories.  
  
"I don't know how much more I can take. They're going to kill each other soon." Hermione said to no one in particular, sighing deeply before returning to her book.  
  
***************************************************  
  
The next Saturday morning, Lara was up bright and early on the field, flying. The twins, Fred and George, were watching her fly in wonder, wiping imaginary drool from their mouths.  
  
"Boys, come here!" Harry yelled. He was standing in the centre of the pitch with the two other chasers, ticking off a list of names on a piece of paper. Fred and George reluctantly tore their eyes away from Lara and headed towards their Captain.  
  
"Okay!" Harry yelled to not only his team but those trying out. "I want those trying out for Keeper to go first. Our chasers will attempt to score, you have to try and stop it. Understood?" Harry said, adopting the role of Captain very well.  
  
The Keeper try outs were terrible. Harry's pained expression grew worse and worse as those trying out gradually decreased in abililty. He was at a complete loss when Ginny took position in front of the goal. Harry raised his eyebrows skeptically. He hadn't known Ginny was any good, and seriously doubted she was. But it was worth a shot.  
  
Kate and Alicia flew towards the goal, throwing the Quaffle between them. Eventually, Katie took the ball and made one final streak for the goal. She headed towards it, aiming carefully for the left hoop. However a quick pass switched possession to Alicia, who threw the quaffle at the right hoop in one swift movement. Ginny however, was ready, and as quick as lightning swung her broom around and booted the Quaffle far away. Harry smiled. He had found his keeper.  
  
"Okay, that was great. But I think I've made my decision, Ginny Weasley, welcome to the Gryffindor Quidditch team." The red head's eyes widened in shock before she grabbed Harry in an enormous hug.  
  
"Thank you thank you thank you!" She said happily. Harry laughed, returning the embrace.  
  
"It was no favour, you were really the best!" Ginny grinned as she was enveloped by her two brothers.  
  
"Good one Gin!"  
  
"You're one of us now!" Ginny's panicked face at this comment showed that this was not an accomplishment in her view.  
  
"Okay!" Harry yelled, halting the twins babble. "Chasers, position yourself over there. Our new keeper and two chasers will play on your team, me and the two beaters will play against you as defense. I want to see you score some goals!" Harry said enthusiastically. He and his team mates mounted their brooms and flew upwards.  
  
"Collin Creevy, you're up first!" Harry yelled from his height. The skinny boy mounted his broom nervously and rode up to join the team.  
  
Harry was not as worried about the chaser tryouts , even though the candidates proved to be worse than the Keepers. If Lara was half as good a Chaser as Seeker, the position was hers.  
  
"Last one, Black, your turn." She girl mounted her broom smoothly and kicked off the ground, joining Harry in the air.  
  
"Ready?" He asked.  
  
"You bet Potter." She said, smirking. Bring it on. 


	7. Quidditch and then some

OK, BEFORE I POST THIS CHAPTER, I HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE A COUPLE OF MY REVIEWERS, WHILE YOU HAVE ALL BEEN FABULOUS, THERE ARE A FEW OF YOU THAT HAVE BEEN THE BEST...  
  
MY NUMBER ONE BEST REVIEWER HAS BEEN DREAM SIREN SHE HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS REVIEWING ALL OF MY STORIES, NOT ONLY THIS ONE. I URGE ALL YOU GUYZ TO READ HER STORY -SEDUCTION GODDESS- COZ SHE IS A GREAT AUTHOR!  
  
MY NUMBER TWO BEST REVIEWER IS SILVERKNIGHT7-I AM REVIEWING...NOTE?  
  
HEHEHE...THANX HEAPZ GUYZ...U NO I LUV U ALL, WHOEVA REVIEWS MOST GETS A MENTION!!!  
  
CHAPTER SIX  
  
Harry blew his whistle and the game commenced. Katie started with the ball, and tried to throw it to Alicia but Harry intercepted. He swung the broom around smoothly and headed towards the opposite goal. He threw it at George, however Lara appeared out of nowhere and snatched it on its way. She sped towards the goal, the others struggling to keep up let alone take the ball from her. She approached the goal and, without stopping, threw the ball right though the middle hoop. The ball was thrown so fast that Ginny's outstretched hands were simply flown aside as the Quaffle hit them.  
  
"Sorry, Weasley isn't it? Ginny?" The red head smiled, trying not to show the pain that she felt. "Come here, I'll fix it."  
  
"It's alright, really, I'm fine."  
  
"Just in case somethings broken." Lara reasoned. Ginny nodded and flew towards her. Lara felt the fingers for any fractures. "You've got a ripped tendon here, stay still, I'll fix it." A quick wave of her hand fixed Ginny's finger.  
  
"T... thank you." Lara smiled.  
  
"No problem, Larrissa by the way, Larrissa Black." She said, offering out her hand.  
  
"Ginny Weasley, but you already know that. Ron's talked about me?" The red head replied, taking the other girls hand in a firm handshake.  
  
"Heaps, he said you were terrible. Really spoilt." Lara said, an evil grin flashing across her face. Ginny laughed.  
  
"I wouldn't put it past him to say that!" She said, as the two girls lowered themselves onto the ground to join the rest of the Gryffindor Team.  
  
"Okay guys, I'm sorry. There was a lot of talent out there, but Black showed the most. You're in." Harry said shortly to the gathering crowd, before stomping off to the shower.  
  
Lara followed him, catching up to Ginny who was walking a little further in front.  
  
"So Gin, you and Potter friends?"  
  
"You could say that."  
  
"What do you mean."  
  
"We'll sure, he says hi and all, but he only sees me as Ron's little sister." Ginny said gloomily, risking a swift glance up at Harry before dropping her gaze to the floor.  
  
"You want him to see you as more. A lot more. Is that it?" Ginny nodded slightly.  
  
"Well then the first step is to act natural around him. It's obvious you're dead nervous around him."  
  
"I can't help it! Look at him, he's a walking slice of heaven!" Ginny cried, her eyes going misty as she chanced another look at her crush.  
  
"Right." Lara said slowly, raising her eyebrows as she looked at the boy in question. "I can't say I can see what you like about him, but good luck all the same."  
  
"He'll never see me. Don't even bother." Lara frowned at this.  
  
"Don't say the Gin. You don't know that."  
  
"It's been three years. I think I can." Lara didn't reply. Instead, she gave the red head a quick squeeze around the shoulders and headed towards the change room.  
  
"C'ya round team mate." She called, before disappearing from Ginnys view. The red head smiled at the retreating girl, frowning as she though of Harry. Scolding her self, she shook her head. She wasn't going to let Harry ruin this moment, she had made the Gryffindor team! What else could she ask? But then she realized that Harry coached the team. Her stomach gave a little jerk at this thought.  
  
When Harry, when will you open your eyes?  
  
****************************************************  
  
"Dancing in the moonlight. everybody's feeling warm and bright!" Lara sang along to her CD. She had magicked up a contraption that played muggle CD's, and now spent her Sunday afternoon in her dorm with Hermione, dancing and singing, in essence; going wild.  
  
"I don't get where you got the time to complete all your homework." Hermione said, as the two girls sat back on the bed, exhausted. The bushy haired girl had frowned when Lara suggested they relax that afternoon, insisting that Lara needed to get her homework done. It was only when Lara showed her all the homework set for the week, completed, that Hermione gave in.  
  
"You finished didn't you?"  
  
"I didn't have Quidditch Friday and Saturday morning."  
  
"I worked late last night." Lara said simply. "Now come on!" She said, jumping up and pulling Hermione with her.  
  
"So I hope this finds you well... sun is shining down eastern valley way! There's some news I need to tell you... Give my mother a kiss tell her I'm okay!" Lara cried at the top of her lungs. Hermione laughed.  
  
"You have quite a nice voice."  
  
"If you sat that to anyone I'll kill you."  
  
"Why?" Hermione asked, confused.  
  
"Defeat demons, kill sorcerers, pass tests, insult Dumbledore, that I can do. Sing, in front of people?" Lara went slightly green at the thought. "My one fear."  
  
"You just sang then."  
  
"But that's just one person, I had music in the background and I'm not really singing, as in trying my hardest."  
  
"I never thought you had it in you." Hermione said after a while.  
  
"To what?"  
  
"To fear." Hermione said simply. Lara didn't reply.  
  
****************************************************  
  
The next weeks went by in a blur. The quartet got closer to Lara over the weeks until she was officially one of them, that is, except Harry. Black and Potter became famous throughout the school for their absolute hatred for each other. Onlookers would often place bets on who would win the fights that took place in the schools halls. Sirius was annoyed to hear the Lara and Harry were far from friends. He tried to convince them in his constant flow of letters to at least be friends, but neither consented. He was also refusing to back down on his pledge to take Harry in when he was freed, despite Lara's desperate attempts to convince him otherwise. The new DADA teacher was definitely a positive change from Umbridge, however Carotene was far from the best teacher they had. His knowledge was limited to simple defenses which Harry and his friends had already mastered the year before in Dumbeldore's Army. It thus became obvious within the first few lessons of class that DADA was a complete waste of time.  
  
Quidditch, however, had to be one of Lara's favourite things about Hogwarts.  
  
"Right, this is the first match of the season. We have to win!" Harry said, anxiety written all over his face. Lara grinned as he began his pep talk, he was so enthusiastic, so involved about it all. He'd be announcing his engagement to Quidditch any day now. And Lara had to agree, it was the best game in the world. There was nothing she loved more than feeling the wind on her face, the adrenaline. They had been worked very hard in the first few months, practices almost every day, rain, hail or shine. Lara had actually caught a cold from one of their late afternoon practices. Lucky she knew the cure, or she would've had to miss a few days worth of classes. "Slytherin is a tough team, but we know their weaknesses. Now their beaters are going to try to." But Lara zoned out at this again as she strapped her shin pads on and secured her red cape on top. She had heard the Malfoy was the seeker for Slytherin, but hadn't seen him fly. She was interested to know if he was as good as he claimed he was. "Now Chasers, I want you to intercept the ball at halfway, because that's their weakest..." Harry's voice faded away as Lara thought of Malfoy. He had been hitting on her for months now. She flirted back, but nothing ever came of it. But is that what she really wanted? He was dead sexy after all, and his rally of insults never extended to her, maybe she could agree to his invitation for a butterbeer at Hogsmeade...  
  
"Let's play some Quidditch guys!" Lara heard vaguely. She snapped back to reality and followed her team out of the change rooms and onto the pitch, greeted by a roaring crowd. Kicking off the ground, Lara smiled as she felt the familiar woosh of the wind whipping around her. It was raining heavily, but Lara had cast a repelling charm around the entire pitch to keep the water away.  
  
"And welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the first Quidditch match of the season, Slytherin versus Gryffindor. And as the players take position, Madame Hooch blows the whistle, and... they're off! Just look at Black fly with the ball. She passes to Katie, she passes to Ginny, but now a Slytherin chaser has intercepted it. And oh! Lara has intercepted it again as Boot tries to pass it to his team mate. And she's approaching the goal now, the Keeper dives, misses, and she scores! 10 nil to Gryffindor and the game has barely started!"  
  
Lee Jordan was commentating once again, and it was obvious to anyone with half a brain that he was impressed, as was the rest of the school, by Lara's skill.  
  
The game continued in a ferocious manner, the Slytherin team getting desperate as Gryffindor scored more and more and Ginny's fantastic skills kept the Quaffle from the Slytherin goal. The score was 170 to 10 when the Seekers dived, obviously catching a glimpse of the Snitch. Malfoy tried to over take Harry and blocking him, knowing it was useless to catch the snitch now as he would lose anyways. But Harry swerved out of the way smoothly, leaning forward. Malfoy, however, thought ahead. He literally jumped off his broom and dove over Harry, snatching the snitch inches from his grasp. The problem was, Malfoy was 100 metres up in the air, and he had just jumped off his broom. The boy plummeted to the ground, the entire crowd watching in horror as he fell. They did not see Lara turn her broom and dive towards the falling Slytherin, so it came as quite a shock when a red flash suddenly zipped past and caught Malfoy metres from the ground. Lara lowered herself and Draco to the ground gently. He jumped out of her arms quickly, brushing himself off and retaining his composure, as if he hadn't just fallen 90 metres. The Snitch was still fluttering weakly in his grasp.  
  
"Why did you do it?" He asked stiffly.  
  
"You would've died." Lara said, exasperated that even in the clutches of death he couldn't bring himself to say thank you.  
  
"Why do you care?"  
  
"No one deserves to die."  
  
"Is that really it? Or can't you admit that you're actually starting to like me?" Draco said. Lara stamped her foot in impatience. The guy had just faced death and he still wouldn't give up on his escapade.  
  
"You're impossible Malfoy." Lara said.  
  
"I'm sexy, and you know it." Lara couldn't hide a small smile as he said this. Draco noticed and grinned.  
  
"Is that a yes?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Is that a no?"  
  
"No."  
  
"I'll meet you at the entrance hall at 10 on Saturday then?"  
  
"Maybe." Lara said, winking at him before his team mates began landing around him. Lara walked back to her change rooms smiling. What was she doing getting herself involved with him? Oh well, it will be interesting.  
  
"Okay, congratulations guys, we won." Harry said, though not particularly enthusiastically.  
  
"No need to be happy about it or anything." Lara said, noting the bitter tone in his voice.  
  
"He's never not caught the snitch in a fair game. Leave him alone." One of the twins said to her.  
  
"Losing once in a while is good, makes you realize you're human, you still have faults."  
  
"Have you ever lost?" The twin (Lara couldn't tell which) asked again.  
  
"No." She said, smiling smugly as Harry stormed out.  
  
******************************************************  
  
The Gryffindors threw a massive party in the common room that night. Harry took part in it, feeling better after a pep talk from Hermione. Lara didn't know what she said to him, but it cheered him up. They had won after all, whether Harry caught the Snitch or not.  
  
"Three cheers for the Gryffindor team! Hip hip!  
  
"Hooray!" The common room shouted happily.  
  
"Hip hip!"  
  
"Hooray!"  
  
"Hip hip!"  
  
"Horray!" Lara smiled as she was hoisted onto the twins shoulders and carried around the room amongst the cheers of her house mates. However she spotted Harry in the corner, looking at the drink in his hand sadly. So he hasn't gotten over it.  
  
"Hey guys, I think our Captain deserves his own set of cheers don't you? We wouldn't have won without him!" The common room erupted in cheers at this, even louder than the cheers for the whole team. Lara bent down and whispered something into the twins ears. They nodded, dropping her to the floor and going over to Harry. Seconds later, he was on their shoulders and not looking so down in the dumps. He caught Lara's eye and gave her a questioning look, as if to ask, why'd you do it. The girl shrugged her shoulders in reply.  
  
Lara walked over to the drinks table, pouring herself a drink.  
  
"I'm proud of you." Hermione said, approaching the drinks table.  
  
"I didn't do it for him, I wanted a drink." Lara said simply. Hermione looked doubtful, but let it pass. "By the way, I was curious. You know Malfoy?" Lara asked casually.  
  
"Yeah, what about him?"  
  
"Is he like... a player? Does he go out with girls often?" Lara asked, even more casually.  
  
"No actually, now that you mention it. I've never seen him on a date, or with a girl at all."  
  
"So what would you say if he did start going out with some girl?"  
  
"Well depends. If it's some pure blood Slytherin blonde, it's probably all for the reputation."  
  
"And if it's not?" Hermione narrowed her eyes.  
  
"What are you playing at? Who's he asked out."  
  
"Oh, no one, I was just curious." Lara said innocently. Apparently, she didn't fool Hermione. The girl widened her eyes in shock.  
  
"He didn't, a...ask you out did he?" Lara sighed, but knew it was useless. She nodded slightly. "Did you say yes?"  
  
"Yeah, I did." Lara said slowly, wondering how her friend would react.  
  
"But he's, so... so mean."  
  
"I know, but I think there's more to him than that. I want to know the real him." Hermione nodded in understanding. "Please don't tell anyone."  
  
"I won't, don't worry." Hermione said, trying to hold back a giggle.  
  
"Don't, please." Lara said, although she too was smiling.  
  
"Where are you guys going anyway?" Hermione asked, curious. Even if the guy was Malfoy, a date was a date.  
  
"Hogsmeade, for a butterbeer."  
  
"When?"  
  
"Why do you want to know? You're not going to like, follow us or something?"  
  
"No, but I might, you know, drop by. Just to check up on you of course."  
  
"Well in that case, I'm not telling you when I'm going."  
  
"Well considering it's a Hogsmeade weekend next, I'm guessing its then." Lara narrowed her eyes at her friend.  
  
"Sometimes, you are too smart for your own good." Hermione just laughed at this. 


	8. Is that Strawberry Lipgloss?

CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
The week inched by painstakingly slow for Lara. She was, of all things, excited about Saturday. Okay, so Malfoy was a bit of a bastard. But in the last weeks he had shown a more human side to him, and Lara knew there was more where it came from. Besides he was funny, smart, and dead sexy. It couldn't hurt could it?  
  
Even so, she didn't tell anyone but Hermione about it.  
  
"I don't know what to wear!" Lara cried, throwing clothes on her bed as she frantically searched through her trunk, trying to find something.  
  
"Oh, definitely this!" Hermione said, holding up a bright red, lacy bra with matching panties.  
  
"Somehow, I don't think he'd complain." Hermione laughed. The two girls continued to search through the mountain of clothes. "Oh my goodness! This is beautiful!" Hermione squealed as she held up a black off the shoulder top.  
  
"With what?"  
  
"Those jeans, and black boots. You're hair up, with some silver earrings, and... this necklace!" Hermione said triumphantly as the took the beautiful pendant from around her neck and gave it to Lara.  
  
"Are you sure?" Lara asked uncertainly. The necklace was Hermione's favourite, and she knew how much she loved it.  
  
"Of course I am!" Hermione said impatiently. "Now hurry, or you'll be late." Lara grinned at her friend as she carefully took the necklace and clasped it around her neck.  
  
15 minutes later Lara was down in the common room, dressed and ready to go.  
  
She was just about to step out of the portrait hole when Ron caught her by the arm.  
  
"Where do you think you're going dressed up like that?"  
  
"I'm meeting some friends outside of school." Lara said casually. Ron gave her a weird look but let it pass.  
  
"I thought you were going with us."  
  
"I was, but then this came up. And I see you guys every day, and my other friends I only see rarely, so..." Lara was lying through her teeth by now.  
  
"Okay okay, I understand. Have fun." Ron said, grinning and letting her go before resuming his seat on the couch next to Harry. Once she was out of the room, Ron turned to Harry.  
  
"She's lying."  
  
"I know."  
  
"What do you reckon she's actually doing?"  
  
"Well, considering she just spent an hour getting ready, and she came out dressed like that, she's either going to prositutes' anonymous or a date." Ron laughed.  
  
"You're terrible Harry, she looked great!"  
  
"You like her?" The raven haired boy asked incredulously.  
  
"Naa, not like that."  
  
"It's still Hermione then?" Ron nodded fervently.  
  
"I don't understand why you don't just ask her out Ron."  
  
"It's not that easy man. What if she says no?"  
  
"She won't." Harry assured his friend.  
  
"Easy for you to say, you've never been shot down in your life."  
  
"Yeah I have, Cho Chang, last year, remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah... do you still like her?"  
  
"No actually. She's followed me around like a little lap dog ever since I came back, and I somehow don't think it's coz she's suddenly attracted to my personality." Harry said gloomily, leaning forward on his hands.  
  
"I know it's tough to find someone who likes you for you and all, but you know Ginny... she's liked you for ages." Ron said. Harry frowned slightly. He knew this, as he and Ron had this conversation often, but he still maintained he didn't see Ginny as anything more than a friend. But Ginny had liked him ever since they met, before he had changed his looks, before he had become Hogwarts most wanted; maybe it was worth a shot...  
  
******************************************************  
  
"Morning My Lady, how are we this morning?" Draco said in a cultured voice, bowing as Lara approached him and holding out his hand.  
  
"Spiffing my Lord, absolutely spiffing." Lara replied, as she took his hand and let him steer her down the stairs and onto the grounds.  
  
"So tell me Malfoy, why me?"  
  
"What about you?" The blonde haired Slytherin asked. He was wearing a black button down shirt and baggy jeans with floppy hair. Lara was glad he hadn't gelled it back as he did occasionally.  
  
"I've asked around, and you're not much of a ladies man, even though you could be. But you asked me out. Why?"  
  
"Most girls fall at my feet at one word, and when I insult them break down in tears. You however, don't. You're not like the rest of them. I suppose you say, I've met my match in you." Lara smiled at this.  
  
"Good answer." She said simply. The pair walked across the grounds and out of the gate, talking happily. Lara found she could relax in his presence, and enjoy his company. He was intelligent, that much was obvious, and extremely arrogant. But then, so was she.  
  
******************************************************  
  
"So tell me, why do you insult everyone? What have you got against Potter for example." Lara asked after taking a sip of her butter beer. They had walked to Hogsmeade and were now sitting on a bench in the Three Broomsticks, still talking away. Malfoy put his mug down slowly and stared at Lara, as if contemplating whether she was ready to hear what she wanted to say. Apparently she was, as he sighed softly and answered her question.  
  
"Okay Miss Black, I knew this question was coming. I don't do it on purpose. Okay, so Potter I do, but that's just because he's a git."  
  
"I can agree with you there." Lara said, grinning. Draco smirked back at her.  
  
"But everyone else, like Granger, I insult them because Dad keeps tabs on me. He has this spell that ensures I don't rebel against the Dark Lord, and that I keep up his noble work. If he senses any sign of rebellion then bam... I'm hit with the cruciatus curse." Lara looked at him in horror.  
  
"How do you stand it? All these years..."  
  
"Well I don't, I've learnt to fight the curse, it's sort of like the Imperious. But that doesn't mean I can openly rebel the Dark Lord, I don't have complete control over the spell."  
  
"So you don't mean most of the things you say?"  
  
"All that pure blood crap? No way!"  
  
"So you're a softie at heart?" Lara said, teasingly.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't go that far..." Draco said, grinning. He shuffled closer to her in the booth, putting his arm around her waist. "I'm still a bad boy..." He said seductively in her ear. Lara felt shivers run up and down her spine.  
  
"Just the way I like it." Lara said, smiling at him as she took shuffled closer into his embrace. She looked up at the blonde Slytherin and smiled as she caught him staring at her.  
  
"You're beautiful, you know that?"  
  
"Of course I do, it's hard to miss. I suppose you're aware that you are drop dead sexy?" Lara asked him, leaning close to his face so she could feel his warm breath on her neck.  
  
"With all these girls falling at my feet, it's hard to not notice." Draco said immodestly as he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. "Mm... I like that lip gloss. Strawberry?" He asked, completely ruining the romantic mood. Lara laughed at him as he licked his lips.  
  
"You tell me..." She said seductively.  
  
"Well I'll need another try..." He said, as he leaned in and kissed her, this time longer and deeper. For some reason, there was little conversation between the two for the next few minutes... ******************************************************  
  
"Today was good." Lara said, as she climbed the entrance hall steps beside Draco, her arms around his waist.  
  
"Good? That's all you can say."  
  
"Okay, it was fantastic." Lara said, grinning into his lips as they shared another kiss.  
  
"That's better." Draco said, as they stopped in the entrance hall to say goodbye, as he had to go down the stairs to the dungeons while Lara had to climb them to go to Gryffindor tower.  
  
"Goodbye Draco."  
  
"Goodbye my gracious Lady. Today was delightful; I shall contact you as to the details of our next outing." He said in the same cultured voice he used at the beginning of their date.  
  
"I look forward to it My Lord." Lara replied, curtsying deeply before he gathered her in his arms for a parting kiss.  
  
"Until tomorrow." He said, as they reluctantly broke apart and headed towards their respective dormitories.  
  
"Until tomorrow my Lord." Lara said before disappearing from view. Draco watched her go before crying out loud.  
  
"Yes!" He said, punching the air in excitement. The day had gone well. No, better than that. It was fantastic.  
  
***************************************************  
  
"Mione!" Lara said, as she ran through the portrait hole in a hurry.  
  
"Lara! How did it go? Tell all!" Hermione said, as she jumped up from her table in the corner and ran towards her friend, embracing her in a tight hug. Suddenly, she let go quickly as she saw Harry and Ron look up from their work, obviously interested in the conversation. "Do you want to go upstairs?" Hermione asked pointedly.  
  
"I don't care who knows anymore! I'm on top of the world!" Lara laughed as spun around the room, arms wide, drowning in happiness.  
  
"So it went well?" Hermione asked, forgetting their audience in her curiosity.  
  
"Better than well. I am, as of today, officially Draco Malfoy's girlfriend." Hermione squealed in delight, hugging her friend again.  
  
"WHAT?" Harry yelled from his position across the room. He stood up from his desk quickly, striding towards the two hysterical girls. "What did you just say?" Lara let go of Hermione and rounded on Harry.  
  
"I said, I'm going out with Draco." She said in a challenging voice.  
  
"You're putting us all at risk you moron! Your endangering our lives for some stupid fling!" Harry spat out, vibrant red in anger.  
  
"What are you talking about Potter?"  
  
"He'll betray you to Voldemort, and you know it."  
  
"He won't. I trust him!" Lara yelled defiantly.  
  
"He's a Malfoy! What do you mean, you trust him?"  
  
"Exactly what I said, I trust him! And I'm going to continue going out with him, whether you like it or not!"  
  
"You're going out with a git who called your best friend a Mudblood! Don't you feel ashamed of yourself at all?" Harry yelled back, the entire common room now silent and listening intently to the conversation.  
  
"HE DOESN"T MEAN IT! HE DOESN"T LIKE INSULTING EVERYONE!" Lara yelled back, her fists clenched at her side.  
  
"BUT HE DOES IT ANYWAY, JUST FOR THE KICK HE GETS OUT OF IT?"  
  
"Don't talk about stuff you don't understand Potter!"  
  
"I will when it concerns me!"  
  
"NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU!" Lara yelled, absolutely infuriated at this point. Harry however, seemed to have been pushed even further, because at this comment he swung his fist around and connected it with Lara's jaw. The girl took several second to recover, but once she did she threw another punch back at him.  
  
"Stop it!" Hermione yelled desperately, trying to separate them with no avail. "Petrificus Totalus!" She yelled with a flick of the wand she had taken out of her robes. Instantly, Harry and Lara stiffened and sprang apart. "You two should both me ashamed of yourselves. I'm going to leave you to heal your own cuts and bruises this time!" She said, before stomping off up the stairs. As soon as she was gone, Lara sprang apart.  
  
"Silly girl doesn't know the curse is useless on me." She said, smiling smugly before collapsing on the couch and beginning to heal her bruises. Ron jumped down and undid the spell binding Harry. He was still fuming, but decided not to risk another confrontation with Hermione in such a state. He too, headed up the stairs to his dormitory, Ron following silently behind.  
  
Once she finished fixing herself up, Lara stood up off the couch and headed out the portrait hole. She needed to see Draco. 


	9. Infuriations

CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
"Hey Gorgeous, it's only been an hour! Can't get enough of me?" Draco said immodestly, leaning back on his chair and putting his feet up on the table, despite the obvious risk to his life. Lara had found him in the library, and had seen Madame Pomfrey prowling the tables, just itching to kick someone out. If she caught Draco like that he would most likely be her first victim.  
  
"You wish." Lara said, collapsing into to the chair next to him.  
  
"Oh my Gosh, what the hell happened?" Draco said as he stared at Lara. He took his feet of the table and leaned forward, touching Lara's eye gingerly.  
  
"What is it?" She asked worriedly.  
  
"It's a bruise!"'  
  
"Oh, I must've missed it from before." Lara said simply, putting her hand to the eye in question and instantly healing it.  
  
"It was Potter wasn't it?"  
  
"Yes, but I got him back just as badly."  
  
"That's my girl!" Draco said warmly, embracing her in a tight hug and giving her a quick peck on the lips. "So what did you want to talk to me about."  
  
"Nothing really. I just had to get out of that common room. They were all giving me weird looks."  
  
"You told them?"  
  
"Shouldn't I have?"  
  
"No, I'm proud of you! I'm just surprised that's all."  
  
"You didn't think I'd tell did them about you?" Draco shook his head. "Well I did, I don't care what they think. They're probably just jealous I'm going out with the sexiest guy in the year." Draco grinned.  
  
"I knew you'd give in to me eventually."  
  
"You're too stuck up for your own good."  
  
"And you aren't."  
  
"But that's the difference see, I deserve it."  
  
"And the sexiest guy in Hogwarts doesn't?"  
  
"You won't let me forget that will you?"  
  
"Hell no." Draco said laughing, as Lara joined in. They were quickly silenced, however, by Madam Pomfrey, who took the opportunity to kick them out of the library. Neither of them seemed to mind very much.  
  
*****************************************************  
  
Relations between Lara and Harry worsened throughout the next week. They refused to sit next to each other during classes and avoided being in the same room. Only when their animosity reached such a height that they entered in an all out fist fight in the middle of dinner did the Headmaster finally step in.  
  
"Larrissa and Harry, I want you in my office after dinner. This must not continue!" Dumbledore yelled at his two students who had each other by the throat. They both immediately let go and sported guilty looks on their faces, before taking seats at opposite ends of the Gryffindor table.  
  
"I knew he'd interfere eventually." Hermione said reasonable as Lara plonked herself down next to her friend.  
  
"Miserable sod. Doesn't have a life so he has to revolve around mine." She said pessimistically. Hermione frowned.  
  
"Don't say that, he's an amazing wizard..."  
  
"Who hasn't got enough common sense to see that his idea of pairing me with Potter failed miserably."  
  
"It didn't fail..."  
  
"Excuse me? Did you have your eyes closed during the part where Potter was trying to kill me?"  
  
"No, but you haven't teamed up in battle yet. Who knows..."  
  
"Maybe he'll infuriate me so much I'll turn around and curse him instead." Hermione slammed her pumpkin juice down on the table so hard that it's contents went everywhere, obviously reaching the limits of her patience.  
  
"You are impossible."  
  
******************************************************  
  
"Okay, now explain to me what went on in the hall tonight." Dumbledore said patiently, leaning back in his chair. Lara and Harry were standing in front of his desk, hands behind them, and looking so much the part of guilty school kids.  
  
"Well Sir, Mr. Potter over here got the sudden urge to throw a punch at me, and I was only defending myself." Lara said innocently. Dumbledore raised his eyes skeptically.  
  
"Bull." Harry said shortly. "She insulted my Quidditch skills first."  
  
"And then you hit her?"  
  
"No, I insulted her back. That's when she hit me."  
  
"Why you dirty rotten liar!"  
  
"It's the truth and you know it!" Harry said defiantly.  
  
"It was not..."  
  
"Enough!" Dumbledore interrupted with his booming voice. "It is obvious that the two of you need time to sort out your differences."  
  
"We've had three months and I still hate his guts Sir. I don't think more time is going to do anything more." Lara said. Harry glared at her out of the corner of his eyes.  
  
"I think you two need time alone." Dumbledore said, rephrasing his previous comment. Both Lara and Harry bore identical looks of horror at this statement.  
  
"Hell no!" Lara said, crossing her arms.  
  
"I wouldn't go near that thing with a ten foot pole!" Harry said, crossing his arms in much the same fashion.  
  
"You two need to learn to at least co-operate! The fate of the wizarding world depends on you two learning to work together."  
  
"I can kill Voldemort alone!" Lara cried impatiently.  
  
"But Harry needs to kill him Lara, remember the prophecy?"  
  
"How could I forget?" The girl muttered under her breath.  
  
"I can kill Voldemort alone. I'm going to have to anyway." Harry said reasonably.  
  
"You are going to deliver the final blow perhaps, but you will have to weaken him first. This takes power you do not possess."  
  
"So what do you suggest Oh Noble One?" Lara said sarcastically.  
  
"You two are going to be moved to a different part of the castle. You will have separate rooms but will share a study area, bathroom and common room."  
  
"HELL NO!" Both of them yelled in unison.  
  
"It has already been arranged. You will be partner for all your classes and this will continue until you have formed some sort of agreement."  
  
"I'm not sharing a room with him." Lara said simply, as if it was the end of the matter.  
  
"You will my dear, whether you like it or not."  
  
"Surely you're not allowed to put a girl and boy in the same set of rooms. Isn't that against some law?" Harry said hopefully.  
  
"There are wards around the rooms, you can't enter hers, she can't enter yours. Any...er... sexual activity will be detected." Lara snorted at this.  
  
"Like I would anyway." She said. "In his bloody dreams."  
  
"My nightmares more like." Harry retaliated.  
  
"Save it for later you two. You will find your belongings are already in your respective rooms. Follow this light and you'll find your new living quarters." Dumbledore said, wrapping up the discussion as he waved his wand and a white light wafted out the end. Harry and Lara turned silently and headed down the stairs, the white light always a few metres in front.  
  
Silently, the weaved through the halls until they reached a set of rooms near Gryffindor Tower. The light stopped at a door with a golden Hogwarts crest emblazoned on it. Lara reached out to open the door but found it locked.  
  
"Damn it!" She cried. "Dumbledore forgot to give the password." No sooner were these words out of her mouth when the white light faded slowly and dropped to the ground. As it hit the ground, it had disappeared completely, but in its place was a small white piece of paper. Harry picked it up and saw three words written in what was unmistakably Dumbledore's writing.  
  
"Contemno contra Amor." He read. The door opened slowly to reveal a large common room with two armchairs, a couch and a roaring fire. Lara opened the door wider and headed inside. She heard the click of the door as Harry closed it behind him. The two of them spent five minutes exploring their new dwelling.  
  
The bathroom was to the right, and was quite large, with a bathtub, showers and toilets, plus two wash basins. The study room consisted of two heavy tables with several drawers filled with ink and quills and paper. Both doors to the bedrooms were on the left wall of the common room, and the rooms were identical, each with a large four poster bed, a mirror and chest of drawers as well as a small bedside table. Large plaques on the doors made it obvious which room belonged to who.  
  
Once she had unpacked and made herself at home, Lara flopped down on the couch, intent on reading for a few hours.  
  
"Don't you have homework?" Harry said irritably as he lugged a massive pile of books into the study room.  
  
"Done." Lara said simply, smiling sweetly at him as he struggled to cross the room. "By the way, where's the little bit of paper? I want to know the password." Harry threw her the piece of paper that had miraculously emerged from the light they had followed. Lara looked down at the piece of paper, reading the inscription. She noticed immediately that it was written in latin; contemno contra amor, hate against love.  
  
Interesting.  
  
******************************************************  
  
At about ten o'clock, Lara's eyes had begun to hurt from reading. She closed it shut and sat up groggily, making her way to her room where she changed into ther pyjamas, which consisted of a very short silk nightie. The rooms were heated far too well by the fires to be wearing anything warmer. Once changed, she made her way across the common room the bathroom, where she commenced brushing her teeth and hair.  
  
She had just started on her teeth when Harry entered, dressed in emerald green silk boxers and looking just as tired as she was. Lara couldn't help but notice how well formed his body really was, but she'd rather die than admit it.  
  
"I hope you're not trying to seduce me in that skanky little thing, cause personally, I reckon you look like a whore." Harry said simply as he gave his hair a quick brush and took out his toothpaste and toothbrush. Lara spat out into the bowl just as Harry started. Once she had rinsed her mouth out, she rounded on him.  
  
"It's obviously got some effect on you, since you noticed."  
  
"Other than to make me gag? Not really." Harry said casually after spitting out into his bowl. Lara didn't reply. Instead, she dried her hands and walked out of the room, too tired to argue. Harry followed seconds later, and less than fifteen minutes later they were both fast asleep in their beds.  
  
******************************************************  
  
"I heard you got relocated with Potter! You must've done something really bad to deserve that punishment Sweetheart!" Draco said the next morning. She had invited him to sit over at the Gryffindor table, ignoring the stares she was getting from her housemates.  
  
"Other than beat him up; which I personally think is a service to the school, I haven't done anything." Draco smiled at his girlfriend.  
  
"Was it that bad?"  
  
"It's terrible, but as long as I don't provoke him he won't annoy me back. Even though it's just so tempting sometimes..." She said, smiling evilly.  
  
"Hey Malfoy." Hermione said as she plonked herself down on the other side of Lara. She and Draco had formed and odd sort of relationship over the months. Through Lara they had reached an understanding, but ever since Lara had explained the true reason behind Draco's provocations (and ever since he had stopped calling her a mudblood) they had reach a level that you could call friendship.  
  
"Hello Granger. Have you heard the news?"  
  
"What news? By the way, where were you last night Miss Black?" Hermione said, putting her hands on her hips and giving her friend a motherly look.  
  
"Same answer to both questions. I've gotten relocated, I'm now living in some random room near Gryffindor with Harry until we "sort out our differences." Like that'll ever happen."  
  
"Come on Lara, this is obviously important to Dumbledore."  
  
"I just don't understand why I have to make friends with some prat for the good of the wizarding community."  
  
"You know exactly why." Hermione replied.  
  
"It doesn't mean I have to do it." Lara argued childishly.  
  
"What the hell is he doing here Black?" Harry yelled from across the hall. Immediately, the crowd inside the hall fell silence, sensing another confrontation.  
  
"He's here on my request."  
  
"Well he's leaving on mine."  
  
"Look, I don't want to cause trouble, I'll just go." Draco said impatiently, rising from his seat and walking away, but not before he shared a lingering kiss with Lara.  
  
"Sorry Sweetheart." She whispered before he walked away to join his own table. "Why do you have to be such a bastard Potter?" Lara yelled at the raven-haired boy who had just taken Draco's spot.  
  
"I think you should be asking him that."  
  
"He's no bastard. You could take a leaf out of his book!"  
  
"So you want me to go and join Voldemort's little cult?" Harry roared back.  
  
"Don't talk about things you don't understand Potter! He's been through more than you, and he's got a better heart than you ever will!" Lara said, before rising from her seat quickly and stomping off before Harry could retaliate.  
  
*I have never met anyone so infuriating in my life!* She thought angrily. 


	10. Spells, Quidditch and romance

CHAPTER NINE  
  
THE MUSIC IN THIS CHAPTER DOES NOT BELONG TO ME IT BELONGS TO JOHN MAYERS AND OTHER ARTISTS SORRY TO DISSAPOINT!!!!  
  
With half an hour till class, Lara returned to her room. She set up her CD player and put a CD in, intending on taking a relaxing music break before classes started. She did not want to face Transfiguration with a stressed out mind.  
  
"I wanna run through the halls of my high school, I wanna scream at the top of my lungs, I just found out there's no such thing as the real world, but it's alright just gotta rise above!" Lara sang as she danced around the room, all the worries that Potter's intrusion had brought dissipating with the rhythm of the music. Lara flopped back on the couch as the song changed to a slower one.  
  
"You can or you can't, can't! Be a man, be a man, man! No more, no more baby I'm a do it right!" Lara sang.  
  
"Not bad for someone with a massive broom stuck up their ass." Lara heard Potter's voice from near the door. She sat up instinctively from the couch.  
  
"How long have you been standing there?"  
  
"Long enough." He said simply. Lara blushed, for the first time ever.  
  
"Oh." Was all she could say. Harry grinned.  
  
"Have I finally found your weakness?"  
  
"Shut up Potter, I'm not perfect."  
  
"Why are you scared of singing?"  
  
"I don't know." Lara said impatiently. "I just am, it's some vice I have. Why are you here anyway?" Harry paused, as if trying to discover the best way to say what he wanted to say.  
  
"I came to apologize." He said finally, through gritted teeth, as if he'd rather be doing anything but. Lara almost fell off her chair.  
  
"You what? Who are you and what have you done with Potter?"  
  
"I'm serious." Harry said in much the same tone.  
  
"Hermione told you to do it didn't she."  
  
"Yes, actually, she did."  
  
"I don't want your fake apologies."  
  
"It's not fake. She actually made me feel guilty."  
  
"But you don't know why you're apologizing do you?"  
  
"Honestly, no. Personally, I think I was right to kick the git off our table."  
  
"HE'S NOT A GIT!"  
  
"THERE'S NO REASON TO CHUCK A FIT BLACK! I CAME UP HERE TO APOLOGIZE BUT I KNOW NOW I'M JUST WASTING MY TIME!" Harry yelled back. Lara paused, her breathing heavy. Vaguely, the song in the background changed.  
  
'For some people the heavens can get it so right, like an angel you see, you have graciously offered a hand'. Lara relaxed as the peaceful music once again filled her veins.  
  
"Okay Potter. I'm...I'm sorry. And I respect you for coming up here and apologizing, even though you didn't want to." Lara said calmly. Harry nodded softly, the music calming down his bubbling temper too. The two stayed silence for a while, neither talking nor moving.  
  
"I think we'd better head to class." Lara said simply. Harry nodded and went to his room to get his books together while Lara went to hers, each deep in thought as to what exactly had just happened.  
  
*****************************************************  
  
"Okay class, pair up! We're going to practice transfiguring on each other. We have been doing theory for quite a few lessons, and I think it's time you tried it out." McGonagall said briskly once the class had settled down. "Larrissa, Harry, you are to work together." For once, neither complained. Wordlessly, Harry switched seats with Ron so he was next to Lara.  
  
"Now, I want you to practice turning you're partners hair different colours, and once you have mastered that try transfiguring your partners fingers into various objects. Remember, concentrate on the object and say transmorgify. You may begin."  
  
"You start." Lara said simply. The other boy nodded and raised his wand. Concentrating on the colour purple, he pointed at her hair and yelled out.  
  
"Cabellus Coros!" Lara's hair caught alight. The girl panicked slightly before putting it out and restoring her hair to it's original state with a flick of her wand.  
  
"Nice one Potter." She said, smirking. "But if you had ruined my hair permanently you would regret it for the rest of your life." Harry smiled sheepishly, before remembering who he was talking to.  
  
"You try then, if you're so smart." He snapped. A quick wand wave and incantation later, Harry's hair was a vibrant emerald green.  
  
"Easy." She said smugly putting down her wand. Harry narrowed his eyes. "You know..." Lara said conversationally. "I reckon that colour really suits you. Or maybe silver." She said, and with a click of her hands his hair was now gleaming silver. "Or maybe purple, or pink, or blonde!" Lara laughed as with each of the colours she clicked her fingers and his hair changed. The blonde hair was by far the worst, as with his tanned skin it just looked fake.  
  
"Change it back! Now!" He said, touching his hair in horror. "I look like Malfoy."  
  
"Who says that's a bad thing?" The subject of the conversation said, walking over and putting his arms around Lara from behind.  
  
"Shouldn't you be paying attention to class Draco?" Lara asked him as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.  
  
"This is simple stuff!" Draco said immodestly, as he waved his wand and uttered the incantation. Harry's hair was now back to it's normal black.  
  
"Show off." Harry muttered.  
  
"What's wrong Potter? Can't even do a simple spell."  
  
"Shut up Malfoy." Harry said irritable.  
  
"Come on Potter, try again, you can do this you know." Lara said, encouraging the dark haired boy for a reason beyond her knowledge. Harry gave her an inquisitive look but let it drop. Raising his wand, he concentrated on Lara's hair.  
  
"Cabellus Coros." He cried once again. This time however, Lara's hair successfully turned a vibrant shade of red that was actually quite becoming on her.  
  
"I told you." Lara said, grinning as she inspected the mass of fiery tendrils that now raked her back.  
  
"Beautiful, but then from you, I expected no less." Draco whispered in her ear before heading back to his seat.  
  
"That will never fail to sicken me."  
  
"Oh admit it, he was being human then."  
  
"Human may be going a bit far..." Harry said, grinning. Lara laughed at this, and with a quick wave of her wand changed Harry's hair to a red that matched hers. He looked in horror at the colour hair that flopped in front of his eyes. "ANYTHING BUT RED!" He said.  
  
"Hey! What's wrong with red?" Asked a vibrant purple haired Ron. Harry blushed.  
  
"Oh...nothing."  
  
The following week went by in a blur, until all too soon it was Saturday morning, and time for Gryffindors next match against Hufflepuff. Lara wasn't nervous at all, but Harry looked liked he was going to be sick as he gave his pep talk before the game. "Now guys, you played well last time, just...just do it again okay?" He said, the words not forming properly in his mouth. It was obvious his last Quidditch match had been such a disaster for him he feared going out onto the pitch and failing his team again. But he didn't have anything to worry about. Hufflepuff were flattened by the Gryffindors 320 to 30, Harry catching the snitch in a spectacular dive.  
  
That evening, the Gryffindor common room was alive with noise as they celebrated their second victory. This time, Harry joined in the festivities. But both he and Lara had to leave the party early, as they had to return to their dorm before curfew.  
  
"Finally got your glory?" Lara sneered at him as they walked out of the portrait whole, reluctantly leaving behind the still raging party.  
  
"Shut up Black. It's not about the glory."  
  
"Isn't it? Well then why was it that last time, even though we won, you were moping around all through the party?"  
  
"Because I didn't catch the Snitch, I felt like I let the team down." Harry said earnestly.  
  
"Bull!" Lara snapped back. "You were just upset because you couldn't receive any recognition for the win."  
  
"Well as if you wouldn't be upset if the team won and you didn't score one point for it."  
  
"Of course I would. But at least I admit it." Lara said simply. Harry glared at her before opening the door to their rooms.  
  
"Contemno contra Amor." He muttered, before pushing the door open and stomping off to his room. Lara repeated the process, closing the door and stomping to her room in much the same matter.  
  
The next week inched slowly forward, as if the teachers had cast a spell to slow down time before the Christmas Holidays. Both Harry and Lara were staying at school, although Ron, Hermione, Draco and Ginny were all returning home. The Weasleys would have had Harry over Christmas, but they were having relatives from all over the country come to stay and they simply didn't have room, even with the magical extensions to the house.  
  
"Alright, you are dismissed. But I want those essays back 1st thing Monday." Snape yelled over the hustle and bustle of students on the Friday afternoon before the holidays. The class groaned as one, trying to get out of the classroom quickly before Snape thought of anything else to punish them with.  
  
"Hey hun, are you going to sit with us today?" Lara asked as Draco approached their table that evening.  
  
"Is it alright with His Highness?" Draco asked, bowing down to Harry. He had not forgotten their last encounter at the Gryffindor table.  
  
"No." The raven haired boy said simply.  
  
"Screw him." Lara said, glaring at Harry. "Sit." Draco cast a wary eye towards Harry before settling himself between Lara and Hermione.  
  
"So girls, how are we going?" The blonde said as he began to pile food onto his plate.  
  
"Not looking forward to the tonne of homework I have to do over the holidays." Hermione said glumly.  
  
"Don't worry, we all have the same amount. I don't know why you're worrying though, you pass everything without trying."  
  
"That's not true, I'd fail potions if I didn't work my butt off." Hermione said simply.  
  
"While Draco here can pass potions while standing on his head."  
  
"I try." Draco said immodestly, grinning, as he raked a hand through his hair.  
  
"You have training this afternoon Black." Harry said from his place opposite her on the table.  
  
"What? I'm on holidays Potter, get lost!" Lara said.  
  
"I don't care, we are training!"  
  
"Half the team won't show up, they'll be packing."  
  
"I'm not asking the rest of the team to practice, I'm asking you because you still have a lot to learn." Harry said simply.  
  
"I'M YOUR BEST PLAYER POTTER!" Lara yelled.  
  
"You may be able to handle yourself on a broom Black, but your tactics suck. You just grab the ball and fly away, hoping you won't get caught. That's not going to win us the cup."  
  
"Bull Potter."  
  
"Even if it is, you're training tonight." Harry said simply. Lara groaned.  
  
"Overworked?" Draco asked.  
  
"And under rewarded. Golden boy over there gets all the credit."  
  
"Even when he can't catch the snitch?" Draco said, sniggering. Harry glared at the couple, but tactfully said nothing.  
  
"Hey!" Ginny said, as she sat down next to Lara. The brown haired girl smiled as she sat down.  
  
"Looking forward to Christmas?" Lara asked the red head.  
  
"Not particularly."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"One word. Relatives." Ginny said, groaning. Lara smiled at her friend, and was about to continue the conversation when she felt a hand slide around her waste.  
  
"Hey gorgeous, you are staying over Christmas aren't you?"  
  
"Yeah, you are going back to the Manor right?" Draco nodded slightly. "I'd invite you over, but. with the whole Death Eaters constantly dropping by..."  
  
"I understand." Lara said simply. Draco smiled.  
  
"You always do." Lara smiled as Draco gave her a soft peck on the cheek.  
  
"I'm going to miss you." Lara said softly. Draco grinned.  
  
"Aww, thanks. I'm going to miss me too!" He said.  
  
"Draco!" Lara reprimanded her boyfriend mockingly.  
  
"Just joking, I'm going to miss you too, more than the flowers miss the sun in the darkest depth of winter!" Draco said in a mock flowery speech.  
  
"How do you do that?" Lara said, sighing.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just... know what to say?"  
  
"It's a gift." Draco said simply, grinning wickedly as he leaned in and shared a quick kiss with his girlfriend.  
  
"Please! Get a room!" Ron yelled, averting his eyes. The others laughed at this comment. Everyone, that is, except Ginny. She was looking at Lara and Draco and suddenly felt something at her heart, a feeling she could only describe as jealousy.  
  
It was not until the red haired girl was lying in bed that night did she fully realize the implications of what that meant. I'm falling for the one guy I can't, and don't want to, fall for. I'm falling for Draco Malfoy. 


	11. Just a moment or two

CHAPTER TEN  
  
Lara woke up that morning with pain everywhere. The Quidditch training the night before had been intense, and she had pulled muscles in places she didn't even know HAD muscles. As she limped towards the bathroom that morning, she bumped into Harry, who was also limping towards the bathroom.  
  
"Can I remind you Potter, that the pain you're feeling right now, yeah, it's ALL YOUR FAULT!" Lara said. Harry pulled a face.  
  
"Don't remind me Black." He said, wincing as his feet hit the cold tiled floor of the bathroom.  
  
"Where's the fun in that?" Harry didn't reply as the two began to brush their teeth. "By the way Potter, what do you think of the Weasley sister?"  
  
"Ginny? I dunno... why the hell are you asking?" Harry said, confused as to the random question.  
  
"Just curious. I think it's pretty obvious that she looks at you as more than just a friend."  
  
"Oh I see. Yeah, I did know, but I don't see her as anything more. I thought about it a few months ago, but I realized that I wasn't asking her out because I wanted to, it was because everyone else wanted me too." Lara nodded in understanding.  
  
"Poor girl."  
  
"Please don't. I know, okay?" Harry said, slightly impatiently.  
  
"You know Hermione and Ron are still not a couple."  
  
"Yes I am aware of that." Harry said, sighing as he thought of his poor love struck friend.  
  
"It can't continue like this, you realize. The poor girl is tearing her heart out over him. Why doesn't he just ask her out?"  
  
"Same reason she doesn't ask him out. Too scared of rejection." Harry said simply, as he spat out the toothpaste and rinsed it out. Lara followed him seconds later.  
  
"It's quite tragic actually."  
  
"Just because you've found your Mr. Right." Harry snapped. Lara frowned at this comment. What does he mean by that? Was he talking about Draco? Lara pondered over this. Was Draco the one she was meant to love for the rest of her life? For some reason, she didn't think so.  
  
*****************************************************  
  
At breakfast the next morning, Draco joined the Gryffindors again for their last meal before the bulk of the students departed for the holidays. He was chatting animatedly with Hermione and Ginny opposite him when Lara arrived. He smiled at her as she sat down, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.  
  
"Hey, how are you?"  
  
"Bad... pain..." Lara said, grumbling.  
  
"Quidditch training right? That bastard of a captain isn't training you right if you are in so much pain the day after."  
  
"Try telling him that." Ginny said, snorting into her food. She fell silent when she caught Draco staring at her, blushing slightly. The blonde was perplexed by this reaction, but found he couldn't take his eyes away from Ginny. The two continued to stare at each other until Hermione's voice, asking Draco a question about potions, interrupted their moment. They broke eye contact and the moment was forgotten. Neither believed that anyone had witnessed the moment. But they were wrong.  
  
Lara, from her seat next to Draco, had watched the entire affair unfold.  
  
******************************************************  
  
That night, she sat in the common room staring into the fire, pondering what she had seen earlier on.  
  
*'I should've been mad at him, it's obvious he likes her. But when I think about it, I'm not. In fact, I'm happy for them. That's not right is it? My boyfriend likes another girl and I'm not phased by it...' seems like he's not the one I've been looking for after all'...* Lara was not happy by the conclusion she had formed in her mind, but somewhere, deep in her heart, she knew it was right.  
  
Her train of thought continued to run through her head until the door opened, admitting Harry.  
  
"You left dinner early." He said simply, taking a seat on an adjacent couch.  
  
"Yeah, I had some thinking to do."  
  
"Do you want to...er. ..talk about it?" Harry asked uncertainly. Lara looked up at him, smiling slightly.  
  
"You don't do this often, do you?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Talk to girls about stuff... problems." Harry shook hid head slightly as Lara laughed. "Okay Potter, come here and I'll drown you in my sorrows. Goodness knows why I'm going to tell you..." The raven haired boy got up slowly and sat himself down on the couch next to Lara.  
  
"I don't know either, but shoot." Harry said. Lara sighed, before opening her heart out to Harry.  
  
"I was watching Draco today at dinner. And he had this... oh gosh this sounds so stupid now..." Lara said, putting her hands in her face.  
  
"It won't be stupid, just talk to me." He said sincerely. Neither of them could quite comprehend this quite sudden amity, but neither questioned it either. They merely accepted it.  
  
"Well... he had this moment with Ginny, where they just looked at each other for like... a whole minute. And I knew, I knew by the way she looked at him, and the way he looked at her, that there was something between them." Harry nodded at this information, frowning. "But that's not the worst bit. When I realized what it meant, I wasn't sad at all. I was actually happy for them. And it made me realize, Draco's not the one."  
  
"The one in the prophecy?"  
  
"Yeah." Lara said softly.  
  
"I thought you didn't believe in love." Harry said.  
  
"Well..." She girl said, not convincing him in the slightest.  
  
"Well..." Harry said, mimicking her. Lara sighed.  
  
"Okay, so let me rephrase what I said. Love does exist, but not this deep, heart- wrenching, 'i-would-gladly-die-for-you' love, the kind my prophecy talks about."  
  
"I reckon you're going to eat those words one day."  
  
"I reckon you're wrong."  
  
"The day I fall in love like that Potter, is the day I sing in public."  
  
"Just you wait Black, just you wait!" Harry said, laughing.  
  
"How do you know so much about it anyway? First hand experience?"  
  
"Not yet, but I know it's out there. And I hope I get just a slice of it before I die."  
  
Now it was Lara's turn to laugh.  
  
"You poor, delusional romantic."  
  
"Okay, enough about this topic of conversation. What are you going to do about my favourite blonde haired Slytherin?" Harry asked.  
  
"I think I'm going to break up with him."  
  
"Bit drastic don't you think? It was only a moment."  
  
"I'm not breaking up with him because of the Ginny thing, that just makes it easier." Harry couldn't help but smile at this comment. "I'm breaking it off because this whole thing has made me realize I don't love him. Not like I should."  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Well I don't know much about relationships..."  
  
"Because you've never been in one." Harry glared at this comment, but chose not to dwell on it.  
  
"But I think you just might be doing the right thing, for once."  
  
"Thanks for the support." Lara said sarcastically. Harry merely shrugged his shoulders before hopping off the couch and heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed.  
  
****************************************************  
  
The next day, Harry and Lara worked the whole day, intent on finishing their holiday homework early so as to enjoy the rest of their break. Harry had never taken on this method before, he usually left all his work till the last day. This usually didn't work particularly well however, so he adopted Lara's scheme to see if it was any better.  
  
On Monday afternoon, Christmas Eve, Harry closed his Charms book slowly, having finished his final piece of work for the holidays.  
  
"Finished?" Lara asked as Harry emerged from the study with a pile of books and headed towards his room. There, he dumped them on his bed before joining Lara in the common room.  
  
"Incredibly, yes. I can't believe something you came up with actually worked."  
  
"Don't sound so surprised." Harry grinned.  
  
"But I am." He said honestly. Glaring, Lara grabbed a cushion from behind her and threw it at Harry, who got it square in the face.  
  
"As a seeker, I'd expect you to have better reflexes."  
  
"As a human being, I'd expect you to not be so up yourself." Harry retaliated.  
  
"Admit it, my arrogance is appealing."  
  
"Nothing about you is appealing Black, live with it."  
  
"Bull, you're telling me if I walked in here wearing red lacy underwear, you wouldn't get turned on."  
  
"I'm a teenage boy, I probably would." Harry admitted. "But not willingly." He added. "It's the same as me asking you if you would get turned on if you caught me in the shower or something."  
  
"Please don't give me sick mental pictures."  
  
"Sick? Don't lie Black! The thought of me naked just makes you get all hot and bothered." Lara laughed.  
  
"You're learning from me you are. That is the comment of an arrogant selfish bastard."  
  
"But the difference is, I make it look good." Harry said, smirking as he lay himself down on the long couch.  
  
"Don't take up the whole thing." Lara said, whining.  
  
"Why the hell not? You aren't using it."  
  
"Well what if I was going to?"  
  
"Tough." Harry said simply. Lara narrowed her eyes. Before Harry had any idea what happened, he suddenly felt the wind knocked out of him as Lara collided into him, obviously trying to push him off the couch.  
  
"Ow! Gerroff!" Harry's muffled voice came from amidst the folds of Lara's fluffy nightgown.  
  
"I'd rather stay here thanks." Lara said smugly. Suddenly, she felt Harry stir, and before she knew what was happening she found herself on the floor by the couch. Harry had obviously used all his energy to push her off.  
  
"Why you little..." Lara began, but she didn't finish. Instead, she grabbed Harry's arm that was hanging down and pulled him onto the floor next to her.  
  
"Ow!" Harry said, wincing as he hit the ground with a dull thud.  
  
"You deserve it." She said simply.  
  
"I wasn't the one who came and sat on me." Harry snapped back.  
  
"Well I wasn't the one who was hogging the couch." Suddenly the two of them were fighting again, but not like they usually did. This time, there were no heavy punches, no bruises or black eyes, even though they could easily have injured each other quite a lot. No, this time, when they fought, it was different. It was almost as if they didn't want to hurt each other, though they didn't understand why.  
  
The two had been rolling around on the floor for quite a while, until suddenly Harry got the upper hand. He had rolled Lara onto her back and was now straddling her, his hands holding her wrists down so she couldn't fight back.  
  
"Got ya." He said simply, smirking at her. Lara glared back at him.  
  
"For the first and last time Potter." She replied, trying to struggle out of his grip but failing miserably. It was Harry who first realized exactly what position they were in, and how compromising it would look to anyone who walked in. He made a sharp intake of breath as he felt Lara wriggling below him. The brown haired girl noticed his intake of breath and stopped wriggling. It was only then that she too realized their position. The two stayed silent for several seconds, neither making any effort to get up. For the first time in her life Lara found she had no witty remark, in fact she was speechless.  
  
Suddenly, something inside of Harry clicked. He got up quickly and sat on the couch, a slight blush painting his cheeks.  
  
"Sorry." He said shortly. It was all he managed to say. Lara got up quickly and went to sit down next to him.  
  
"It's ok." She replied. Harry nodded and got up off the couch, walking to his room and closing the door with a soft click. Lara fell back on the couch, confused and surprised at what had transpired. What the hell? 


	12. Breakups, denial and revelations

Chapter 11  
  
The next morning, the pair woke up with the sun. Neither of them had gotten much sleep, due not only to the excitement before Christmas but the odd moment they had experienced the night before. Lara got dressed quickly and headed to the common room, where there was a small Christmas tree they had set up a few weeks earlier. She ducked under the tree and dragged out all the presents.  
  
"Some of those are mine you know." Harry said from his position above her, arms folded.  
  
"I know." Lara said unconvincingly. "I was just sorting through them."  
  
"Sure you were." Lara pulled a face at him before selecting the presents in the pile that were hers. She got a beautiful necklace from Sirius, a bottle of healing potion from Hermione and a Quidditch scarf for the Irish team, who Lara supported wholeheartedly. She got several other presents from students in the year, and a collectors edition of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans from Dumbledore.  
  
Harry frowned slightly at this present, thinking that Dumbledore was playing favorites.  
  
"What's the look for Potter?"  
  
"Teachers aren't suppose to favour students." Harry said childishly. Lara rolled her eyes at the Gryffindor.  
  
"Honestly Potter, Dumbledore's more than my teacher. He's been my grandfather for years, looking after me." Harry didn't reply, but instead retaliated with a suspicious glance. "You're so jealous Potter, get over yourself."  
  
"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" Harry roared. Their intimate moment from last night was forgotten as the two began to throw insults at each other. Lara was about to throw her first punch when her body suddenly froze. Lara cursed as she sprang out of the curse.  
  
"What the hell?" Harry asked. It had look very weird to see her aiming a punch and then stopping in mid air.  
  
"Dumbledore's anti-hostility spell, freezes you." Of all the reaction's Lara expected Harry to have, she did not expect him to laugh. "What on earth is wrong with you Potter?" She asked impatienly.  
  
"You can't touch me! I can call you a selfish, stuck up, flat chested bitch and you can't do a thing to stop me!" He said gleefully. Lara opened her mouth in horror at his insults.  
  
"Why you retarded bastard!" Lara spat, her fists curling into balls of rage. It took a lot of stregnth of will for her not to hit him, despite the uselessness of it.  
  
"That's the best you can do Black?" Potter said mockingly, picking up his pile of presents and heading to his rooms, an evil grin still plastered on his face. Lara narrowed her eyes at him before picking up her presents and stomping off to her room.  
  
The rest of the holidays were a very rocky period for the pair. Their brief episode of near-friendship was abandoned for all out hostility, and once they were out of the room the fights could continue unhindered. By the end of the week, Harry was covered in bruises from head to toe, Madam Pomfrey refusing to heal them any more. Lara had managed to heal her own with her advanced magic, but Harry could not as yet heal injuries.  
  
After one particularly nasty fight, Dumbledore called them into his office again.  
  
"For a brief period of time there, I thought my idea to have worked. This past week has proven otherwise." Both Lara and Harry smiled inwardly at this. Perhaps Dumbledore would let them move back to the common room. "I will, however, not remove you from your current lodgings." The inward smiles quickly faded.  
  
"So what are you going to do." Lara asked impatiently.  
  
"You are not allowed to attend meals in the hall. They will now be served in your own quarters."  
  
"That's unfair!" Harry cried.  
  
"No, Mr. Potter, it is not. You refuse to make even the smallest attempt at cooperation, and I have been forced to resort to these measures. You have no one to blame but yourselves. You are dismissed." Dumbledore said, indicating that the conversation was over before the pair could retaliate. Lara stamped her foot in impatience before heading out the door, pushing Harry out of the way on her way out. Harry glanced pointedly at Dumbledore.  
  
"See what I have to put up with?"  
  
"Don't act like you don't deserve it Mr. Potter." The headmaster said simply.  
  
***************  
  
"That is so slack!" Harry roared on their final night before school started. The students had arrived that night, but Lara and Harry had not been able to see them because of their recent punishment.  
  
"What is Potter?"  
  
"How come you get to heal your bruises while I'm stuck limping around?"  
  
"Because I'm smarter than you, and have enough ability to heal them myself."  
  
"Heal me as well, it's only fair."  
  
"No it's not."  
  
"You inflicted this pain on me!"  
  
"So? You inflicted this on me, but I don't see you healing me."  
  
"That's because I can't!"  
  
"Go have a cry about it Potter!" Harry stamped his foot impatiently.  
  
"Bitch." He muttered on his way out, just loud enough for her to hear.  
  
"Bastard." She muttered back.  
  
"Come on." Harry whined from his position on the couch. Lara rolled her eyes before sitting down on the couch next to him.  
  
"Fine, but I want you to realize the only reason I'm doing this is because Dumbledore will kill us if he sees us sporting any more injuries."  
  
"Sure it is... You just can't admit that you care about me."  
  
"Don't flatter yourself Potter." Lara snapped, as she gently touched the bruises around his lips. Harry closed his eyes as she began to work around the bruises around them. He felt rather than saw her lean closer, checking for any other injuries. He could feel her breath teasing his lips, and couldn't repress a shiver as her fingers lightly touched a cut lip, healing it instantly.  
  
What's wrong with me? I don't like her! Harry thought. But she is attractive, with her long hair, and soft, tanned skin...  
  
SHUT UP HARRY! His inner voice interrupted. Harry shook himself out of his state, opening his eyes.  
  
It was a normal teenage boy reaction... he said to himself as Lara finished healing some of the bruises on his knuckles and got up from the couch, heading to her room.  
  
Perfectly normal... He repeated, reassuring himself. It's not because I like her or anything...  
  
***************  
  
"Hey guys! How were your holidays?" Hermione asked excitedly, running up to Harry and Lara outside their transfiguration classroom. She gave the two of them a quick hug before letting them answer.  
  
"Terrible." They said simultaneously.  
  
"Why?" Once again, the pair pointed at each other simultaneously.  
  
"Oh no, please don't tell me you guys started fighting again! You were improving when I last saw you!"  
  
"Yeah well, Potter can't help being the a-hole he is." Lara muttered.  
  
"Much like you can't help being a bitch." Harry retaliated.  
  
"You say that like it's a bad thing!" Lara said, feigning mock hurt. Harry narrowed his eyes at her but didn't dwell on it as at that moment Draco walked up to the group.  
  
"Hey how is everyone?" Draco said, looking from Hermione to Lara and completely ignoring his nemesis between them.  
  
"Disgusting, but I spent it with him. What else can you expect?" Lara drawled.  
  
"Mine were good, I just spent it with the family you know?" Hermione said, smiling. Draco nodded before turning his attention to his girlfriend.  
  
"Before we go into class, could I have a word with you, alone?" He said, emphasizing the final word. Lara nodded.  
  
"Yeah sure, I need to talk to you too actually." She said thinking now was as good a time as any other to break up with him. But despite her inner voice convincing her it was going to be alright, she couldn't help but feel her heart crumble slightly at the thought of what she was about to do.  
  
"Okay, I don't know quite how to put this." Draco started slowly, avoiding Lara's eyes. It was only when a nervous look flashed across his eyes did she finally realize what was going on.  
  
"It's okay Draco, I know you're here to break up with me." Lara said softly. The blonde haired Slytherin almost did a double take at her words.  
  
"W...what? How did you...how?" He said confusedly.  
  
"Well I've noticed for quite sometime that you... er... like someone else."  
  
"Oh... I'm sorry... I..." Lara sighed at Draco's stuttering. This was a nasty way to end a relationship.  
  
"Draco, listen to me. I wanted to tell you something too, remember? I was going to break up with you too, because I realized that I didn't like you, at least not in that way." The boy breathed an obvious sigh of relief at her words.  
  
"Good." He said simply, before Lara started laughing. "What? It's not funny!"  
  
"I wish I had a camera. I think that's the only time in the history of the world anyone has ever seen a Malfoy nervous."  
  
"Funny Lara." He said, not being able to suppress a small smile.  
  
"This won't change our friendship will it?"  
  
"I hope not. You're the only person I can insult who puts up a good fight back, even if you do loose in the end..." Draco said immodestly.  
  
"Shut up." Lara said playfully. "Now, about this Ginny thing..."  
  
***************  
  
"I hope you all had a good holiday, because now we are on to some real work." Mc Gonagall said as soon as the students were seated in class for their first lesson of the term. The class groaned at her opening announcement before rustling to find paper to take some notes.  
  
"You broke up with the wanker didn't you?" Harry whispered to Lara, who was sitting next to him in the transfiguration classroom.  
  
"Yes, for your information Potter, I did. But he isn't a wanker."  
  
"Course he is. All guys wank." Harry said simply.  
  
"I did not need to know that Potter." Lara said, wincing slightly at the thought. Harry grinned at this.  
  
"Aw...is poor Blacky Wacky too pure and innocent for all this naughty talk?" He said in a mock baby voice. Lara narrowed her eyes in anger.  
  
"I may be a virgin," Harry winced at this information, "But I am certainly not innocent."  
  
"Over share Black." The Gryffindor said.  
  
"Now who is innocent?"  
  
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Harry said, in much the same tone as Lara had used not long before. The two couldn't help but grin at this comment.  
  
"POTTER AND BLACK! IF YOU INSIST ON TALKING IN MY CLASS THEN I WILL GIVE YOU MORE TIME TO CHAT IN DETENTION!" McGonagall yelled halfway through her explanation of the lessons work. The pair jumped at her booming voice and fell silent immediately, neither willing to spend any more time with each other than they already had to.  
  
"I can't believe you guys have started fighting again." Ron moaned at lunch that day. Lara and Harry had just gotten into another verbal war, which would have escalated into something more had Hermione not stepped in.  
  
"I can't believe I ever tried to be friends with that anus!" Lara snapped.  
  
"The feeling is mutual Black!" Harry spat. They would probably have continued their fight had Draco not sat himself down beside Ginny on the other side of the table. Harry narrowed his eyes at his nemesis.  
  
"What do you think you're doing here Malfoy?" Harry said dangerously.  
  
"I'm sitting with my friends Potter, do you know what they are?"  
  
"I have more than you Malfoy, so I should."  
  
"Open your eyes Potter. Your friends only hang around you for the fame."  
  
"Better than for money." Potter retaliated.  
  
"That tongue of yours is getting so sharp Potter, that it'll slice your jaw in half one day." Lara said dryly, getting up from the lunch table and heading towards her room. Harry checked his watch quickly before following her footsteps, although purposely walking several meters behind her.  
  
*****************************************************  
  
Lara entered the common room and flopped down on the couch, watching Harry as he closed the door behind her and seated himself on an opposite couch.  
  
"Why don't you like Malfoy?"  
  
"He insults me. Why should I?"  
  
"He doesn't mean it?"  
  
"Well why does he do it?"  
  
"Because his father has a spell on him Potter. He has to keep up the Dark Lord's work here at school, and if Lucius feels any rebellion he puts the Cruciatus Curse on him." Lara said, finally explaining to Harry the true meaning behind Draco's retaliations. Harry stared at Lara, his face softening.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yes, oh!"  
  
"Well he's stopped insulting Hermione."  
  
"'Cos he can fight the curse."  
  
"But not enough to stop insulting me."  
  
"Oh no, he does that because you're an annoying git and you deserve it."  
  
"Exactly my point, why should I like him?"  
  
"Well if you tried to be nice to him, maybe he'd return the favor."  
  
"I will when he does." Harry said immaturely. Lara shook her head, muttering something that sounded a lot like 'boys!'  
  
"Are you upset?"  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Malfoy and Ginny." Lara gave Harry a weird look, surprised by this sudden turn into civilized conversation.  
  
"No, I'm not. They both need to find someone, especially, Ginny, that loves them whole heartedly."  
  
"And that isn't what you want?"  
  
"Well I want love, but not the sweet, tender sort of love their looking for. I want something passionate, deep, something that sends me weak at the knees."  
  
"This coming from a girl who doesn't believe in deep love."  
  
"I might not believe in it, but I can still dream."  
  
"Quit dreaming, and start believing. It may come true?"  
  
"Do you believe?"  
  
"Of course." Was the simply reply, as Harry grabbed Quidditch Through the Ages from the floor beside his couch and commenced reading it. Meanwhile, Lara pondered over the conversation she had just shared with Harry. His final answer had surprised her. He had said it so determinedly, like he believed in it with all he was.  
  
He's so passionate about some things, exactly what I want in a guy. You can see it in his eyes, those emerald pools... hang on? What am I thinking? This is Potter! I don't like him, and never will! He's annoying and arrogant and.....  
  
But then... why was her heart beating so much faster?  
  
At that moment, an owl swooped in through the window and dropped two letters in the center table. Lara walked forward and picked up the one addressed to her, motioning to Harry, that the other one was for him. Slowly, the brown haired girl opened her letter and read.  
  
Hey Sweetheart Not sure if Dumbledore's told you yet, but Voldemort's attacked. He hit the ministry yesterday and he's got it under his control and using it as his base. Hogwarts is the only place left that's remotely safe. DON'T LEAVE DUMBLEDORE'S SIGHT FOR ONE SECOND! I do not want you going after this lunatic, he's powerful. Same applies for Harry. Dad PS: Wormtail was captured during the assault by Aurors. He testified, I'm free. When we get out of this war, you, me and Harry are going to buy a flat in London. What do you say?  
  
"CRAP!" Lara cried out loudly, slamming the letter down on the table and kicking the sofa as hard as she could in frustration.  
  
"DAMN IT!" Harry said in much the same tone as Lara had. He had obviously just finished reading his letter, which contained much of the same content as hers had.  
  
"I'm going to Dumbledore, I refuse to sit around and."  
  
"I'm going with you." Harry said abruptly, following the girl out of the door. "What if he says to stay put?" He asked her as they hurried out of their room and down the corridor.  
  
"I don't know about you, but I'm escaping and going after the lunatic."  
  
"You're not going alone." Harry said determinedly. Lara stopped walking and turned to face the brown haired boy, who was looking at her with a face set with determination.  
  
"Thank you. But it's going to be dangerous..."  
  
"I know." Harry interrupted. Lara simply nodded at this. He had been through a lot, she knew he was telling the truth when he said he understood exactly what he was getting himself into.  
  
The two continued to hurry along the corridors, their hatred for one another temporarily forgotten in the light of a bigger adversary. They had just turned right into another wide corridor when they spotted Dumbledore coming the opposite way.  
  
"Professor!" Lara yelled at the approaching Headmaster. He nodded his head slightly, acknowledging their presence.  
  
"I suspect Mr. Black has already written to you." The wizened old man said solemnly as soon as he was closer.  
  
"Yes, he told us everything. Voldemort's attacked the ministry, and it's now under his control." Lara said.  
  
"Did he mention anything about his new allies?" The old man asked pointedly. The pair shook their heads.  
  
"He's gathered up his army again. Vampires, werewolves, Death Eaters, giants, banshees, and demons." Lara paled slightly at the mention of the last abomination.  
  
"Again?"  
  
"Yes my dear. He had offered them a very good deal, as the Lord of Hell himself has descend into our midst to fight in his battle."  
  
"Karadryn." Lara said softly. Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"You realize we cannot just stay here and twiddle our thumbs when the world outside is collapsing." Harry said, crossing his arms in determination.  
  
"I understand your need to help Harry, but this is no ordinary foe."  
  
"We are no ordinary wizards." Lara said, looking up at her headmaster and staring him directly in the eye.  
  
"Perhaps not, but your power does not match his when coupled with the demon's dark magic."  
  
"I defeated them last time." Lara said defiantly.  
  
"The demon's alone, yes. But my belief is that they've combined power with Voldemort. The sort of power we are talking about, if that is the case, is beyond anything you've ever encountered."  
  
"I'm going to the Ministry headquarters, whether you like it or not." Lara said simply.  
  
"I know you are. But you are not going alone."  
  
"Harry is coming too, yes." The green eyed boy nodded in agreement at this.  
  
"And so is Mr. Malfoy."  
  
"No. That is one life I would not risk for the world. His death would haunt me for the rest of my life, I cannot bear that burden Dumbledore." Lara said softly.  
  
"You will need him, when the time comes."  
  
"I don't understand, why do we need Malfoy?" Harry asked confusedly.  
  
"This child of good and evil shall stand between the angel of light and the angel of dark, and she will lead them unto victory against evil..." Dumbledore repeated softly, a faint smile spreading across his face. Comprehension dawned suddenly upon the two students as they realized the implications of what that meant.  
  
"I'm the child of good and evil..." Lara said softly.  
  
"I'm the angel of light..." Harry said in the same tone.  
  
"And Mr. Malfoy is the angel of dark." Dumbledore said serenely. "You will need to leave at once. I have a port key already set up for you in Professor McGonagall's classroom; it is the hourglass sitting on her desk. Retrieve Mr. Malfoy from his lunch and head towards the classroom. Take nothing but your wands." The headmaster said. The pair nodded as they divulged the instructions, their mutual fear at the task they were about to face hidden by masks of determination.  
  
They were just about to turn around and head towards the hall when Dumbeldore stopped them.  
  
"Good luck." He said simply. "I am sorry to bear you this burden." 


	13. There's nothing wrong with a little fear

CHAPTER ELEVEN "Draco." Lara whispered to her ex-boyfriend, tugging at his sleeve to try and coax him up.  
  
"What's up?" The blonde haired boy said, turning to face her. His grin disappeared when he saw the anxious look on her face.  
  
"We need to go, something bad has happened." She said, not wishing to give out any more information in the crowded hall.  
  
"What happened? What is it?"  
  
"Outside, I can't tell you here." Lara said, tugging even more frantically at his sleeve. Draco finally allowed himself to be steered by the girl out of the hall and into the entrance chamber.  
  
"What is it? What's got you all fired up?"  
  
"It's Voldemort. He's attacked the Ministry Headquarters, taken control of it. We have to go there, now. We have to fight him." Lara said quickly. Draco's face whitened as he comprehended the information he was being told.  
  
"But why...h...how?" He asked perplexedly.  
  
"He's gathered his army. Vampires, banshees, demons..."  
  
"D...demons?" Draco chocked out.  
  
"Yes! Demons, now come on! We have to go before he attacks anyone else..."  
  
"Why me?"  
  
"Remember that prophecy?"  
  
"The squiff one about angels of light and dark?" The Slytherin asked, remembering the conversation they had during their time together.  
  
"It's not squiff. It's true. And you are the angel of dark." Draco's face grew dubious.  
  
"How do you know? What if it's just a load of garbage?"  
  
"AND WHAT IF IT'S NOT? WHAT IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO SAVE MILLIONS OF LIVES AND DON'T TAKE IT?" Lara yelled, her patience finally at its limit. It worked however, as the blonde nodded in agreement.  
  
"Fine. Lead the way." He said determinedly. "I'm ready to fight."  
  
"You might have to make a choice Draco. Between good and evil, between your Dad's world or mine, between dark and light. I need to know where your loyalties lie."  
  
"I've tasted goodness, I found it in you, and Ginny, and all the other Gryffindors. And it's the most addictive drug out there. I'll never give it up. Not for all the power in the world." Draco replied, looking at Lara directly in the eye just to prove how truthful he was being. She nodded. It was exactly what she had needed to hear.  
  
"Just a question." Draco said as Lara led him through the maze of corridors and stairs to McGonagalls classroom, where Harry was waiting for them.  
  
"Yeah..." Lara said slowly.  
  
"I'm the angel of dark, you're the child of light and dark, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"So who's the angel of light?" Draco asked. Lara pulled a face as she grabbed the Slytherin's robes and pulled him into a doorway. Seated on one of the desks inside was the answer to Draco's question, Harry. "No!" Draco said, eyes wide as he realized who was inside the classroom, and why.  
  
"I'm afraid so."  
  
"W...why?"  
  
"Please don't do this, either of you. Lives depend on us. We need to put aside our differences here, because when it comes down to it, we're fighting on the same side."  
  
"B...but why him?" Draco whined.  
  
"He's a lot more powerful than you think. It wasn't just luck that's got him this far." Lara said simply. Harry glanced at the girl out of the corner of his eye and mouthed a small thank you. She smiled back softly.  
  
"Fine, for the sake of humanity, I'll do it." Draco said, nodding slightly towards Harry. The brown haired boy held out his hand, obviously indicating for Draco to take it in a handshake. Both boys had a sudden flash back to their first train ride to Hogwarts, where Draco had offered out his hand but Harry refused. It was strange the fate should bring the same situation about again in such different circumstances.  
  
"Brings back memories, doesn't it Malfoy?" Harry said, still holding out his hand. Draco simply nodded, as he grudgingly took the hand in a firm handshake.  
  
"Finally." Lara said simply before steering the two boys toward the hourglass on McGonagalls desk. "Are you ready." Both boys nodded, instinctively clutching their robe pockets where their wands were safely stashed. "Okay, ready, set, go!"  
  
The trio reached forward and grabbed the port key at the same time, and immediately felt a familiar tug behind their navel. They felt themselves being lifted off their feet, the world rushing around them. Suddenly, it stopped, and they felt their feet slam into the ground, however all three kept their balance.  
  
"Where are we?" Harry asked, glancing around at the buildings that now surrounded them. They were in the middle of a street on the outskirts of london.  
  
"We are on a street parallel to the entrance to the Ministry. We didn't land directly on the entrance because Dumbledore fears there may be guards."  
  
"And if there are?" Draco said, slightly worried.  
  
"We'll stupefy them."  
  
"And if they're demons?"  
  
"I'll deal with them." Lara said simply. Harry nodded, motioning for Lara to lead the way. The girl stepped in front of the two boys and headed towards a side street the connected with the next one down. She motioned for them to be quite as they crept through the narrow street, stopping just in the shadows of the surrounding buildings. Harry peered up and down the street and immediately recognized it as the one in which the Thestrals had landed on this time last year, when he had gone to save Sirius. The run down telephone box on the sidewalk confirmed this conclusion.  
  
"There don't seem to be any guards." Said Draco happily, about to stride forward into the open. Lara instinctively grabbed him and hauled him back.  
  
"Not so fast my dense comrade. Just because you can't see them, doesn't mean they aren't there." Draco scowled slightly at being called dense, but didn't dwell on it. Harry tried to hide a smirk but failed miserably.  
  
"Don't." Draco said, catching Harry's smile.  
  
"Don't what?" He replied innocently.  
  
"You know exactly what." Draco said threateningly.  
  
"Stop it boys." Lara hissed. They immediately fell silent as a strong wind began to blow through the street. Suddenly, a ghastly looking figure appeared out of thin air. As if suddenly realizing his lack of invisibility, the figure began chasing a silvery cloak that had apparently blown off him.  
  
"An invisibility cloak..." Harry said softly. Lara nodded.  
  
"And that's a vampire." She said. Draco nodded, obviously used to seeing such creatures from hanging around his father. Harry however, gazed at the creature with interest. It was very pale, with long black hair. It was only when it turned towards them did Harry realize that is also had brilliant red eyes. But apart from this, the figure looked relatively human.  
  
"Is it just the one?" Draco asked. Lara frowned.  
  
"I don't know, for all we know there could be hundreds hidden under invisibility cloaks all throughout the street." Harry shuddered as the image of hundreds of blood sucking vampires suddenly appearing out of nowhere and pouncing on them filled his mind.  
  
"So what do you suggest we do?"  
  
"I know a spell, it's difficult but I think I can do it."  
  
"What sort of spell?" Harry asked curiously.  
  
"Allows me to see through invisibility cloaks." The boys nodded in understanding. Lara sat down against the wall of one of the buildings enclosing the street. She closer her eyes, concentrating as she began muttering a string of incoherent words. Both boys watched in wonder as a soft blue light began to emanate from her. Scared that the guards would notice the light, the position themselves between her and the entrance to the street.  
  
As the light died down, Lara finished the incantation with one final word.  
  
"Pentratus." She whispered, before opening her eyes and standing up slowly. Her vision appeared to be the same, except that the world appeared to be brighter and a lot more alive. She was a lot more aware of every imperfection on the opposite wall, every shadow on Draco's face, and the intricate patterns found within Harry's emerald eyes.  
  
They really are like emeralds aren't they? Lara though dreamily, allowing her gaze to linger on the boys eyes. Suddenly, she snapped back to reality. Stop day dreaming about Potter, of all people! She said angrily to herself, shaking off her prior thoughts and concentrating on the task at hand.  
  
"Did it work?" Harry asked softly. Lara turned to the street, where she could now see a grey blur striding purposely back and forth in front of the telephone box. The other guard, the vampire, had only just caught his cloak. Lara watched as he covered himself one more, turning into a similar dark grey blur.  
  
"There's only two of them."  
  
"Including the vampire?" Draco asked. Lara nodded, continuing to watch as the vampire rejoined his companion outside the telephone box.  
  
"Do you know what the other thing is?" Harry asked, peering into the seemingly empty street for any sign of movement.  
  
"I'm not sure, but judging from it's build it's remotely human." Lara replied.  
  
"Good..."  
  
"But it walks a little differently from the vampire, it walks a bit like a woman."  
  
"So what do you think it is?"  
  
"Taking a blind guess, I'd say a banshee. I can take them."  
  
"We're not letting you go out there alone."  
  
"You're not coming with me."  
  
"We are in this mission together."  
  
"I know that, but you can't help in this case. I don't want you injured before we even get inside the ministry." Harry crossed his arms determinedly.  
  
"I'm not letting you..."  
  
"Harry! Trust me, I can do this. I don't want you getting hurt. As much as I dislike you, I care about you to some degree and I'm not letting you walk into a battle with a foe you can't see." Lara said impatiently, ending the conversation. Harry uncrossed his arms, his eyes flickering worriedly to the telephone box.  
  
"Just leave her Potter, she knows what she's doing." Draco said, grabbing Harry's arms and leading him further back into the shadows. Reluctantly, the green eyed boy nodded.  
  
"Just... be careful okay?" Harry said to Lara, a hint of worry in his voice.  
  
"I didn't know you cared!" Lara said, chuckling.  
  
"I'm serious, I can't do this without you." Harry said seriously. Lara stopped laughing and returned the boy's serious face.  
  
"I'll be alright." She said simply, before turning and heading out into the street.  
  
"OI!" She yelled at the two grey figures. Quick as lightning, they turned to face the apparently insane girl who was heading towards them. "I need to get in there."  
  
"No one is allowed in here without the Master's permission." The vampire hissed, his voice poisonously slow and eerie. He did not seem surprised that she could see him.  
  
"I don't give, I need to get in."  
  
"We will not allow it." The other figure said in a harsh feminine voice, confirming Lara's suspicion that is was a Banshee.  
  
"Well then I'll just have to make you won't I?" Lara said, reaching forward and ripping off the two cloaks which covered them and throwing them behind her.  
  
Both guards bared their teeth viciously, turning towards Lara. The vampire drew out his wand, while the Banshee, with not magical abilities, bared her sharp teeth menacingly.  
  
She looked a lot like the vampire, except her long black hair did not hang limp down her back as did her co-guards, but seemed alive. The strands wriggled and occasionally lashed out at thin air, making a sickening whip crack noise with their fast movements. Her eyes, also red, matched her blood red lips, which stood out strikingly against her pale skin.  
  
Lara stepped back quickly, out of range of the Banshee's wild hair. She muttered a quick curse, stretching out her hand and aiming it at the vampire. It hit him square in the chest, his wand movements to slow to conjure an effective deflecting curse in time. He crumpled to the floor, unconscious.  
  
Lara then turned her attention the banshee.  
  
"Stupefy!" She yelled at the creature, as a jet of yellow light streamed out of her hand and headed for the Banshee. However one of the clumps of hair lashed out just in time, and the curse was deflected by the black snake of hair. "How inconvenient." Lara muttered to no one in particular. This was going to be harder than she thought.  
  
Suddenly, a snake of hair stretched out and aimed itself at Lara. The girl instinctively jumped aside just in time as the hair snake slice at the air where she had just been. Thinking quickly, Lara raised her hand and shouted the only curse she could think of that could do possibly assist her.  
  
"Immobilarius!" She yelled as a jet of white light streamed out of her hand and headed towards the Banshee's flaming hair. Lara saw the creature's eyes widen as the jet hit her black hair and paralysized it. Quickly, before she could retaliate, Lara aimed another stupefy curse at the shocked Banshee, sending her unconscious much like the vampire. Lara breathed a huge sigh of relief as she turned to the street where Harry and Draco were hiding, motioning them to come out.  
  
The two boys suddenly stepped out of the shadows and made their way across the deserted street towards Lara.  
  
"Good work." Draco said, grinning at Lara.  
  
"You can do magic... without a wand?" Harry said slowly.  
  
"Haven't you noticed before? I've done it in class occasionally before."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"How come you can do it and I can't?"  
  
"Excess power, diminishes the need for an outlet of magic, which is what a wand is really." Lara said simply. Harry nodded in understanding, still not believing he hadn't noticed it before. Draco seemed unperturbed. He had obviously spotted Lara's gift before and was thus unsuprised.  
  
"Come on guys, that was just one battle. We've yet to win the war." Lara said, motioning the boys into the telephone box as she grabbed the invisibility cloaks that were splayed on the pavement from where she had thrown it. Draco snatched on and covered himself in it, leaving Harry and Lara to share the final cloak.  
  
"Malfoy's don't share." The blonde said simply. Lara rolled her eyes at her arrogant ex, but didn't dwell on it. The three crammed inside the sqaushy box as Lara, who was closest to the receiver, dialed the code six two four four two.  
  
As they whirred back into place the cool female voice sounded inside the box.  
  
"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business."  
  
"Larrissa Black, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. We're here to save the world." Lara said simply.  
  
"Thank you. Visitors, please take the badges and attach them to the front of your robes." The female voice said again as three badges slid out of the metal chute where returned coins normally appeared. Draco scooped them up and handed Lara and Harry their respective badges, each with their name followed by Saving the World imprinted on it.  
  
"Visitors to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wands for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium." The female voice continued as the floor of the telephone box shuddered and the pavement rose up past its glass windows until it disappeared from sight. A chink of soft golden light hit their feet and gradually rose up their bodies as they reached the Atrium. The door slid open, and the trio shuffled out, careful to keep the cloaks wrapped tightly around their bodies.  
  
As they looked at the scene of chaos that now in habited to the normally peaceful Atrium, the trio sent a thankful prayer to anyone who would listen, thanking them for the invisibility cloaks. They wouldn't have made it two steps without them. The Atrium was swarming with every dark creature imaginable; Vampires, Banshees, Death Eaters, Half Giants and Werewolves.  
  
What caught the eye of the trio above all else, however, was the presence of a very large, dark creature in the center of the room, near the fountain. It resembled a human covered in a long robe, however it was immediately obvious the thing wasn't human. The robes it was wearing were mostly black, however it was creased with lines of molten red, making the outfit appear to be made of molten lava. The face, almost entirely obscured by the hood, was dark and menacing, with dark red eyes and gleaming white teeth just visible within the shadows.  
  
"A demon..." Lara whispered softly, eyeing the creature with something Harry had never before seen in her eyes, fear. 


	14. Wands, Plans and a little love

CHAPTER THIRTEEN  
  
The trio stepped into the Atrium, startling slightly as the door of the lift clanged shut behind them and rose back to ground level. No one in the Atrium seemed petrubed by the seemingly empty lift, leading the trio to suspect that invisible guards and other creatures often made use of the it.  
  
They slowly made their way through the crowd, being careful not to hit anyone. They skirted the fountain and reached the other end of the Atrium, where the lifts were.  
  
"Come on, let's go." Lara whispered to the two boys either side of her, her voice lost in the deafening noise already bouncing around the Atrium. She led them towards the small gate that would open up into the hallway of lifts.  
  
"What are you doing?" Draco hissed, grabbing where he supposed Lara's arm was and pulling her back.  
  
"Going to the lifts to begin a search of the Ministry?" Lara replied, confused as to the nature of Draco's fervant whisper.  
  
"Aren't we going to get our wands checked?"  
  
"Are you kidding?"  
  
"They won't let us through the gate unless we check our wands." Draco insisted, leading Lara to the small table.  
  
"Have you gone insane?" Lara whispered, lowering her voice as an ugly looking creature which she couldn't identify walked past. "Voldemort has taken hold of this place. There won't be any more 'wand checking'."  
  
"Yes there will! The gates are bewitched. If you haven't been given the approval by the inspector you don't go through."  
  
"Surely Voldemort would've gotten rid of the spell and inspector."  
  
"It's advanced magic, I doubt he could. And if you look to the table, you'll see he didn't get rid of the inspector either." Draco said softly. Lara pulled a face that only Harry caught under the invisibility cloak.  
  
"Fine." She said huffily, marching over to the table where a wizened old man sat shackeled to his chair.  
  
I have no idea how we're going to do this. Lara thought worriedly, wondering how she would get her wand inspected without blowing her cover.  
  
From what she had seen so far, Voldemort has several minions that were invisible, as no one had seemed very surprised when the lift had descended into the Atrium of it's own accord. With this in mind, she pulled up her Hogwarts sleeves (so they wouldn't be recognized) and stuck out her hand with her wand in it.  
  
The inspector doubled back when he saw a hand holding a wand suddenly appear out of thin air. But when he realized it wasn't pointing at him, he took the wand and began his inspection, confirming Lara's suspicion that several invisible creatures passed through this way.  
  
Once her inspection was done, the man gave her back her wand. Harry then proceeded to follow in Lara's example and held out his wand.  
  
"How many are there of ye?" The inspector said grumpily.  
  
"Three." Lara replied in a gruff voice. The three of them were holding their breath as the inspector completed his overview of Harry's wand and grudgingly took Draco's, which he was already holding out.  
  
"Hurry up!" A harsh voice barked from behind them. All three students jumped at the sound and turned to see a hooded wizard stamping his foot in impatience, obviously waiting to get his wand inspected.  
  
"I am." The man behind the desk said, obviously bored. It was apparent that he was used to this kind of treatment, but was also aware that he was far too important to be killed. Voldemort wouldn't be able to get into the lower levels of the ministry without him.  
  
"Who are you?" The cloaked man asked suspiciously, eyeing the space where he presumed the invisble figure was standing.  
  
"Messengers." Lara repeated in the same gruff voice.  
  
"From who?"  
  
"Secret." Lara said impatiently, wishing the inspector would hurry up so they could get out of here.  
  
"We're all on the same side here, come on, you can tell." The hooded man said persuasively.  
  
"No." Lara said shortly, as Draco was handed his wand back and they walked off quickly, each letting out breaths they had not known they were holding.  
  
Through the gate, they entered a hallway filled with lifts behind metal grills. The area was bustling with more of the hooded men (which Lara had a feeling were Death Eaters) and several other creatures. They made their way to the end of the hallway, where it was relatively empty.  
  
With a great jangling and clattering, a lift descended down from the shaft at the very end of the hall way. The grill opened up and the trio climbed in, followed by a man with a sunken face and gaunt features. He reminded Harry vaguely of Remus Lupin, increasing his suspicion that it was a werewolf.  
  
The grill clanged shut and begun to descend as a cool female voice echoed around the chamber.  
  
"Level Seven, Department of Magical Games and Sports, incorporating the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters, Official Gobstones Club and Ludicrous Patents Office." Apparently, Voldemort had not yet been able to altar the voice to suit his own purposes.  
  
"Should we start our search here?" Harry whispered softly into Lara's ear, sending an unwanted shiver down her spine. A quick look down the corridor in which the lift opened up into told her the floor was deserted.  
  
"Not worth it." She said softly, slightly louder than Harry to ensure Draco heard.  
  
"Okay." The blonde said, confirming he had heard her. The werewolf was starting to shift uncomfortably, obviously aware that there were other people in the lift.  
  
The lift continued to descend, and floor after floor was as emtpy as the first. Lara was beginning to wonder if perhaps Voldemort was conducting his operations somewhere else when the lift hit level one.  
  
"Level One. Department of Mysteries." The grill opened to reveal the bare corridor which Harry had seen a year ago when he had come to rescue Sirius, the main difference being that the previously emtpy corridor was now bustling with all sorts of Dark Creatures.  
  
"Come on." Lara whispered, leading Harry out and vaguely feeling Draco follow them. The werewolf hurried down the flight of stairs to the left, obviously eager to get away from the invisible voices.  
  
"Where do we start?" Draco asked as the lift clanged shut and made it's way back up.  
  
"Down the stairs first." Lara said as they descended the stairs an entered into another corridor with rough stone walls and torches in brackets. The doors along here were heavy woden ones with iron bolts and keyholes, although most of them seemed to have been blasted away to provide easy access.  
  
"Are we going to search every door?" Harry whined softly into Lara's ear.  
  
"We will see." She replied as they slowly opened the first door on their left, trusting their invisibility to keep them from any dangers awaiting on the other side.  
  
The room empty, although judging by the furniture it was obviously and old courtroom, with the high benches surrounding a centre chair.  
  
"Can we just rest here for a bit, you know, get our thoughts together?" Draco asked softly.  
  
"Alright." Lara said, closing the door behind them. The room at once fell into a deathly silence, the noise of Voldemort's creatures bustling up and down the corridor shut out by the door.  
  
"Must be silencing spell." Lara remarked as she flicked her wrist at the door to lock it before taking the invisibility cloak off her and Harry.  
  
"What are you doing? Someone could walk in!" Draco hissed, still covered by the cloak.  
  
"I've locked it."  
  
"What if they break through the lock?"  
  
"They won't." Lara said simply. Reluctantly, Draco removed his cloak and sat down on the chair in the centre. Harry and Lara sat down on one of the benches facing him.  
  
"So we're looking for Voldemort. And when we find him, then what?" Draco asked, leaning back in his chair and enjoying a moments rest.  
  
"We duel." Lara replied. She instinctively felt Harry stiffen beside her and saw Draco react in much the same way.  
  
*They're scared. Hell I can't blame them, I am too. But what if something happens to them? *  
  
For some reason, the thought of losing Harry caused her more grief than she would care to admit. Instinctively, she reached across and grabbed his hand, checking that he was still there, that he was still alive.  
  
"We're going to be alright." He said softly, understanding the reason for her grip on his hand.  
  
"What if he's got hundreds of his minions guarding him?"  
  
"I don't know. I suppose I'll have to distract them while the two of you head for Voldemort."  
  
"We can't let you do that." Harry said.  
  
"You might have to."  
  
"Do you have any idea where he is?" Draco asked, changing the subject before a debate broke out.  
  
"There is one particular room I have in mind."  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"The commonroom for all the Ministry officials who work down here. It's the only remotely comfortable room here, and I have feeling it's where Voldemort would be staying."  
  
"Do you know which door it is?" Lara nodded.  
  
"Okay, so we find this room and run in. Voldemorts standing there surrounded by fifty guards. What do we do?" Harry said after a few minutes of peaceful silence.  
  
"Well that's half the reason I agreed to rest here for a bit. We need to plan."  
  
"Do you have one in mind?" Draco asked.  
  
"I was thinking, I could go in first, in full view. I could lead the guards away, lead them on a chase through the ministry. Then you and Harry could walk in, covered in the cloaks of course, and attack Voldemort."  
  
"Without you?" Harry asked, not completely hiding the icy fear he felt well up inside him.  
  
"Yes. I may be able to join you if I can shake off the guards. But I may not."  
  
"I told you, I can't do this alone."  
  
"You won't. Draco will be with you." Harry looked at the blonde sitting on the chair opposite them, who was at that moment blowing at the strands of hair that fell in front of his eyes. He did not look promising at all.  
  
"How relieving." Harry said sarcastically.  
  
"He's a good fighter Harry, when he's called for it."  
  
"I can hear you." Draco said in a sing song voice, not taking his eyes from the strands of hair in front of his face.  
  
"Okay, enough dilly dalying." Lara said abruptly, standing up before the two entered into a verbal war. "It's time we got this over and done with." The two boys stood up, gathering the invisibility cloaks in their arms.  
  
"Watch out in there. I don't want either of you two getting hurt. If you feel like you're losing, get the hell out of there."  
  
"I'm not turning my back on this Lara." Harry said determindly.  
  
"I'm not letting you kill yourself!"  
  
"This is bigger than my life, or Malfoys, it's even bigger than Dumbledore's life. This is about goodness, and freedom! I don't know about you, but I think that's worth dying for." Harry yelled, his eyes blazing.  
  
Lara took a step back, thrown by the passion in his words. He believed in what he was saying, he believed in it with everything he had. It was at that moment that Larrissa Black first began to love Harry Potter. 


	15. The Dark Lord and some apparating

CHAPTER Fourteen  
  
Lara walked along the corridor, acutely aware of how vulnerable she was. She had bewitched her Hogwarts robes to mirror those the Death Eater at the Inspection table was wearing. She was now walking along the corridor of the Department of Mysteries towards a door which would lead her to Voldemort.  
  
She was not one to be easily frightened. But at that moment, she was terrified. And it wasn't because she was about to face Voldemort. It wasn't even because she was about to face fifty of his guards.  
  
It was because of him. Harry.  
  
She strained her ears, trying to see if she could detect the soft footfall of Harry and Draco, who were following her down the corridor in their cloaks. Reaching the door in question, she took a deep breath.  
  
Something about the atmosphere around the door, the way the creatures walking along the corridor seemed to swerve to avoid it, told Lara that her guess as to Voldemorts position had been accurate.  
  
When she opened the door, her presumption were confirmed.  
  
"Hello Larrissa." A soft voice hissed from the high backed chair which had it's back to her. The room reminded Lara of the Gryffindor common room; roaring fire, crimson couches and chairs, a warm rug and a few tables scattered with parchment about the room. But the deadly chill about the room, despite the fire, told her this room contained something a lot more sinister than the Weasley Twin's stash of dungbombs.  
  
Slowly, Lara walked around the side of the chair. The sight that met her eyes was not the one she was expecting.  
  
Sitting on the crimson backed chair was an older version of Tom Riddle. He looked no older than 30 with soft brown hair and sparkling blue eyes, and could've passed for a normal, healthy adult.  
  
"You have changed." Lara said simply, as a way of releasing her shock.  
  
"Since coming to power again, I have gradually regained my health. I now look as I would had the unfortunate event of 16 years ago never occurred."  
  
"You will always be scum in my eyes." Lara hissed, the hatred dripping from her voice.  
  
"That's no way to speak to a man who can kill you with a click of his fingers."  
  
"You would be dead before you raised your hand."  
  
"I am fully aware, Larrissa, that you have the ability to kill me. I am also aware, that you wouldn't dare. Not with the prophecy as it stands." The girl narrowed her eyes.  
  
"If you mess with me Voldemort, I may conveniently forget about that little prophecy."  
  
"Yes, the thought crossed my mind. So I've organized a little entertainment for you while I kill the Potter boy, to keep you from meddling of course." Tom said, rising slowly from his chair and straightening out his brilliant blue robe.  
  
Lara narrowed her eys, ignoring the slight twinge of icy fear in her heart at those words.  
  
*What on earth has he cooked up for me?*  
  
"Ka? I've brought you a little snack!" Tom said in an amused voice.  
  
Ka? Is that his basilisk? He's going to make me fight the snake? I can squash that thing with one spell! What's he playing at?  
  
Suddenly, out of the shadows came a hooded figure. It's molten lava cloak and brilliant red eyes, just visible within the shadows of it's face, immediately identified the creature as Lara's worst fear.  
  
A demon.  
  
"Have you met my good friend Karadryn? He's owns quite a lot of land and power, being the Lord of Hell an all." Tom said in a casual voice that sickened Lara to the bone.  
  
"I don't believe I've had the pleasure."  
  
"No...you haven't." The figure said in a deep voice that shook the very walls of the room and echoed in the very chambers of her heart. "But my sons have. They are now lying dead on that accursed grave yard, felled by your hand. I have come to avenge them, and all of the others who were killed by you on that dark night."  
  
At least I know now how Voldemort convinced the demons to help him this time... revenge. But I wonder how much more powerful he is than all the other demons I've had to fight? Surely he couldn't be too bad?  
  
"Alright, Karadryn. Come and take your revenge. If you can." The demon growled before pulling back his cloak, revealing a dark skinned, dark haired man with glittering red eyes and brilliant white teeth. He could probably be called good looking, if he wasn't surrounded by an auroa of absolute evil.  
  
"Alright Potter, you can come out now. I know you're there. I've been expecting you." Tom said, turning to the corner of the room where Draco and Harry had witnessed the entire event, hidden by their cloacks.  
  
"How did you know I was there?" Harry asked, pulling off his cloak and stepping out of the shadows.  
  
"Invisbility cloaks do not work on demons."  
  
"How come the one down in the Atrium did not stop us then?"  
  
"I told him I was expecting you, and to notify me when you arrived; but not to hinder you." Harry merely nodded. "And now, we shall truly see who is more powerful! The boy who lived, or the most powerful lord on earth!" Tom said, raising his wand. Harry followed suit, pulling out his wand and aiming it at Voldemort, not a hint of fear or weakness in his entire body.  
  
And at that moment, with his dark hair not completely covering his glittering green eyes and his long black cloak framing his figure, Harry Potter truly was the hero of the wizarding world. He had about him an aura of power and purity not unlike that which Dumbledore had.  
  
"You have grown much since we last met."  
  
"Scared?"  
  
"Never!" Voldemort cried. With a twirl of his wand he aimed a curse at Harry. The boy, not prepared for a sudden attack, tried to dodge it. But the curse never reached him. It stopped in what appeared to be mid air.  
  
"Long time no see Riddle." A cultured voice said, as Draco Malfoy removed his invisibility cloak and identified himself as the source of the barrier. He had obviously summoned a defense spell to Voldemorts curse just in time.  
  
"Malfoy." Tom sneered, eyeing the blonde boy with distate. "You have dissappointed me, you could have been great!"  
  
"What can I say? I live to dissapoint my father, and dissapointing daddy means dissapointing you."  
  
"Foolish boy! Yet you have not lost all hope. You can still repent, and join me. I will make you my right hand man, give you all the armies you desire, all the power, all the land!"  
  
"I don't want it." Draco hissed, suprising Tom with the amount of hatred in his voice.  
  
"What else do you want? I can give it to you, anything you desire!"  
  
"No, you can't. All the power and land you own cannot give me what I want, what I crave, what I need."  
  
"And what is that?"  
  
"Love, hope, faith, happiness..."  
  
"Love? There is not such thing as love, or happiness. It's just an illusion created by those with power for those without."  
  
"You're wrong." Lara said, stepping forward to stand by Draco's side. Harry followed suit, standing on the otherside of her.  
  
"Larrissa, nice for you to join us." Tom said, the sarcasm obvious in his voice.  
  
"I'm afraid your entertainment wasn't as enticing as you hoped it to be."  
  
"That does not bother me. The task is complete."  
  
"Task?" Lara echoed.  
  
"Yes, you see, the only reason I made a deal with Karadryn was so that you can kill him."  
  
"Why would you benefit from the death of Karadryn?"  
  
"Get ready to fear Miss Black." Voldemort said, smiling maliciously as he made his way over to the dead body of the demon, where Lara had killed him. He bent over the corpse and placed his hand over the creatures chest, where it's heart would be if it's anatomy was similar to a humans.  
  
Suddenly, the demon began to glow a sickening green colour. As suddenly as the light had illuminated, it began to fade from the demon's corpse and transfer itself across to the crouching form of Voldemort.  
  
"What's he doing?" Harry asked. Lara frowned.  
  
"I don't know." Once the glow was completely transferred, Voldemort stood up, turning to face them. And it was only then, when Lara saw him with his glittering blue eyes surrounded by an aurora of absolute power did it finally click exactly what happened.  
  
"Power, he stole the power from Karadryn."  
  
"He what? So you mean... now we're fighting the Demon AND Voldemort? All in one nice little bundle?" Draco asked, his voice close to hysteria. Lara merely nodded, her face going slightly pale as she felt the waves of power emanating off Voldemort.  
  
"This is not good..." Lara whispered. "We have to get out of here, I can't kill this guy, not alone...." The brown haired girl grabbed the two boys on either side of her, shutting her eyes tightly and concentrating. Suddenly, the trio felt themselves dissolve, a feeling which came as quite a shock to Harry and Draco.  
  
Lara continued her concentrating, ignoring the peculiar feeling of her body dissolving. Suddenly, she felt a strong rush of wind whip around her body before the world straighted itself and they were back at Hogwarts in the entrance hall.  
  
"FAR OUT!" Harry yelled, sinking to his knees. "Can you warn me next time you do that?" He said exasperatedly as he checked his hands and fingers to check he was still in one piece.  
  
"You apparated us? All three of us?" Draco asked the girl beside him, who had already let go of their hands. But Lara didn't answer. She began to sway, the world spinning around her. And then the world went black.  
  
**************************  
  
Lara opened her eyes to find herself in a strange bed. It took her a few seconds to discover where she was and why.  
  
"You're awake." A voice said simply. Lara turned to see Harry sitting next to her on the hospital wing bed she was lying in.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"You used to much magic, and blacked out. Or that's what Dumbeldore said." Suddenly it all came back, the ministry, Voldemort, the demon and her final desperate attempt at apparating them out of harm.  
  
"I should've warned you."  
  
"That's not my major concern! You almost died!"  
  
"I thought Voldemort was more important than any of our lives." Lara asked him pointedly.  
  
"Yeah...but ... but...."  
  
"But what?"  
  
"I'm not letting you kill yourself."  
  
"Now you know how I feel." Lara said simply. The two remained in silence for a while, immersed in thoughts.  
  
"Do you know why I apparated out?"  
  
"You suddenly felt a suicidal urge?" Harry said sarcastically.  
  
"Harry!" Lara reprimanded him, ignoring her sudden use of his first name.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Don't be a prat."  
  
"Then promise me you'll never do something that stupid again!"  
  
"I can't promise you that. I had to do it. To save our lives."  
  
"We could've taken him."  
  
"No, we couldn't. The power from that thing, you've never felt anything like it."  
  
"So what do you suggest we do?"  
  
"I have to train you guys to do certain spells. Ones that work against demons."  
  
"Can't you just use ordinary hexes?"  
  
"No. That's what I thought you see, and that's why I took so long in getting to the grave yard that night. All the curses I used against the demons did nothing."  
  
"So what can you use against them?"  
  
"They are special spells. They take a lot out of you though, because they take up your life source."  
  
"I don't get it." Lara sighed, sitting up in her bed and ignoring the sudden queaziness she felt.  
  
"Okay, normal spells don't use up our energy. There are special chemicals in a wizards blood that allow for the magic to happen. Demons, however, are far more powerful, and the power made by these reactions isn't enough. These special spells, they use the energy we have to produce spells that are more powerful, and thus enough to kill demons."  
  
"But Voldemort isn't a demon."  
  
"True. But you know that power I said I felt coming off him? It's the same I felt coming off the demon. He's obviously not only aquired the creatures power, but it's defenses as well, in particular it's ability to deflect ordinary curses."  
  
"But, these spells, they take away part of your life source. If you use too much energy then..."  
  
"You die. Yes. That's what I have to teach you. How to control that energy." Harry nodded.  
  
"So that's why you got us out of there." Lara nodded.  
  
"I'm sorry." She said. Harry's expression softened as he watched Lara. She had never said that to him before. Ever. And at the moment she seemed a lot more human. With all her power and arrogance, she was still human.  
  
"Hey, listen." Harry said, shuffling closer to her on the bed. "Don't worry. I understand. You saved us. I should be thanking you!" Lara looked up at the green eyed boy who was leaning extraordinarily close. She watched his lips crease into a smile, wondering what it would be like to kiss them.  
  
Subconsciously, she began to lean forward, decreasing the gap between them. At the same time, Harry leaned forward, until their lips were centimetres apart. She could feel his breath on her lips and felt shivers run down her spine. Her heart began to speed up uncontrollably as the gap became smaller and smaller.  
  
"Lara! You're awake!" A shrill voice echoed through the hospital wing. Both Harry and Lara blinked, instinctively pulling away from each other.  
  
*What on earth just happened?* Harry thought. *We were about to kiss, and I wanted to.... am I.... am I falling for Larrissa Black?*  
  
For some reason, the thought didn't sound that foreign, or unwanted...  
  
"Hey Hermione." Lara said wearily, laying back down on her bed and jolting Harry back into reality. Hermione stopped at the edge of the bed, eyeing Harry and Lara and their slightly shifty expressions. A small smile spread across her lips as her mind realized exactly what had been going on, but she decided not to dwell on it.  
  
More footsteps followed Hermione, and Ron joined the group by Lara's bed. He did not pick up on the tension between Harry and Lara.  
  
"Are you alright?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"Harry told us what happened. You could've died, that spell you did used almost all your life source!" Hermione cried.  
  
"We would've died if I hadn't done it." Lara said simply.  
  
"Why?" She asked.  
  
"It's complicated." Lara said, taking a deep breath before commencing the explanation she had just given Harry.  
  
"So you're going to train Harry and Draco and then go back to fight him?"  
  
"Yeah, that's what I intend to do."  
  
"When do we start training?" Harry asked.  
  
"As soon as possible, and as often as possible. We can't afford to waste time. Voldemort will start killing soon, he'll start gathering more to join his army. The longer that goes on for, the harder it is for us."  
  
"Are we going to miss classes?" He asked hopefully.  
  
"I'll ask, that will definitly speed up the process. But there is only so much training you can do in a day. As I said before, it takes a lot out of you." Harry was about to reply when Madam Pomfrey came bustling in.  
  
"How are we dear?"  
  
"Much better, I think I'd like to go back to my dorm now."  
  
"You only just woke up my dear child!"  
  
"I know, but there's no damage done. All I need is rest. And I think I'll get a lot more done in my own bed."  
  
"There's no way you can get any sleep in the dormitory, with all the noise those Gryffindors make."  
  
"I'm not sleeping with the Gryffindors, me and Harry have our own rooms in another part of the castle."  
  
"You do?" The nurse said, slightly suspicious.  
  
"Yes, they do." A deep voice said from behind Madam Pomfrey. She turned to see Albus Dumbledore, looking very solemn indeed in dark blue robes.  
  
"Headmaster, I didn't see you there."  
  
"Not to worry. But I think I must insist on Lara being moved back to her rooms. There are special circumstances here which require her skills and much haste."  
  
"She's just recovered from a near death experience Professor! She can't do much!"  
  
"I am aware, and I will ensure she does not endanger herself." Dumbledore said simply, obviously not elaborating. Madam Pomfrey sighed dramatically, but knew it was useless to argue with the headmaster.  
  
"Very well." She said, before storming away. Dumbledore smiled softly after the retreating nurse before returning his gaze on the girl lying in bed.  
  
"Lara." He said simply. Hermione, realising her presence was not required, made an excuse to leave.  
  
"Well, I suppose me and Ron had better leave for lunch." She said, grabbing the red head's arm and leading him away.  
  
"But lunch isn't for half an hour!" The boy complained. A quick squeeze and look from Hermione was enough to shut him up until they were well out of the hospital wing. 


	16. Energy Magic

CHAPTER FIFTEEN  
  
"So Lara, I trust you will begin training the boys in Energy Magic soon?" Dumbledore said, once the pair had left.  
  
"As soon as I get back to my room I'll begin theory work. We can't afford to lose time sir."  
  
"I am aware of that. It pains me to set you to work so soon after such an ordeal, but it is necessary. The..."  
  
"Fate of the wizarding world depends on it. I know." The headmaster smiled.  
  
"I suppose I do always say that." He said amusedly.  
  
"Sir." Harry asked timidly, interrupting the thoughtful silence.  
  
"Yes Harry?"  
  
"Why can't you come with us? Why can't you fight with us?"  
  
"The prophecy does not speak of me."  
  
"It only mentions the three of us, but it does not mean no one else can be there."  
  
"I'm afraid it does. Prophecies work in special ways. They are not like muggle law contracts, where you can find loop holes to suit your own needs." Harry frowned, but nodded in understanding.  
  
"About this training." Lara said, shattering the silence that had descended amongst them once again. "Could Harry and Draco be excused from class? It would make teaching a lot easier."  
  
"Normally, I would not allow it. But this is more important than grades. It is perhaps the most important thing you will ever do. Because that is the case, I will allow it."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"I will inform Mr. Malfoy of these events."  
  
"Could you also tell him to meet us in our dorms today as soon as possible?"  
  
"I will. Is there anything else?" Lara shook her head, and Harry repeated the gesture. "Well if there is no more you need of me, I'd best start heading down to lunch. The two of you will return to your rooms for lunch, as usual.  
  
The two students nodded as the headmaster exited the room.  
  
"Do you want to head back now?" Harry asked softly.  
  
"Yeah." Lara replied, as she slowly slid out of bed and made to stand up. Her legs, however, refused to hold her, so she only managed to collapse straight into Harry's waiting arms.  
  
"I had a feeling that would happen." He said amusedly as he put his arm around Lara's waist and draped hers over his shoulder. Supporting most of her weight, Harry walked the weak girl out of the Hospital wing and back to their dormitory.  
  
"Contemno contra Amor." Harry said, before entering the common room and depositing Lara gently on the couch.  
  
"Thank you." She said, smiling up at him. He grinned back, lighting up his already handsome face and making her blush slightly, something which she hadn't done in years.  
  
"Do we start training now?"  
  
"Yes, so I suggest you get changed into something a bit more comfortable. You are going to be pushed to your limits." Lara said, smiling evilly.  
  
"Sounds like fun." Harry said, staring determindly at the other girl and not letting her threat worry him.  
  
As Harry went to his rooms to change, Lara thought about the only thing that seemed to occupy her mind as of late, Harry.  
  
*When did this feeling come about? When did I stop yelling and start caring? It was so weird in the beginning, liking him. But now I can't imagine not liking him. He's so passionate, and charming in his own naïve way. I wonder if he likes me back? He has been acting different... but maybe it's just because of the war. The war! That's what I should be focusing on! Voldemort, demons, important things! Not some silly little teenage crush!*  
  
But somewhere deep inside, Lara knew this went beyond a little crush. She'd rather die than admit it though.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
A loud knocking at the door interupted Lara's thoughts. Getting up slowly, she waddled to the door and opened it slowly.  
  
"Draco!" Lara said happily, throwing her arms around him and losing balance at the same time.  
  
"Hey, I know you love me and all but hands off! I'm attatched now!" He said, grinning as he assisted Lara back to the couch and laid her down.  
  
"Sorry, I'm still a bit weak. But what do you mean... attatched? You don't mean, you and....and... Ginny?" The blonde nodded enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"I had no idea you guys talked." Lara said, not being able to hide the small twinge of jealousy in the pit of her stomach.  
  
"Yeah, we've been getting really close while you were in the hospital wing."  
  
"How long exactly was I in there?"  
  
"A week." Draco said simply, eyeing the lunch the house elves had left for Lara and Harry apprehensively.  
  
"Help yourself." Lara said, noticing him eyeing the food. "So what happened? Tell me!" She said enthusiastically as Draco nibbled on an apple.  
  
"It was last Friday. And we had just had lunch, and I invited her for a walk around the lake. And we got talking...."  
  
*FLASHBACK*  
  
"So, how is the crush on Potter going? Still nice and healthy?" Draco asked, as he led Ginny down the steps and towards the lake.  
  
"It's not as bad actually. I think I'm over him. No scrap that, I am over him."  
  
"Finally."  
  
"I know I know. But he was so sweet and cute. You'd be hard pressed to find a girl that doesn't like him."  
  
"Lara doesn't." Draco said, not liking the turn the conversation was going.  
  
"But that's Lara isn't it? She's something different, she's not like most people. A lot like Harry in that respect. I reckon they would make a great couple, if they didn't hate each other so much of course." Ginny said thoughtfully.  
  
"I doubt it'll ever change."  
  
"Yeah...probably. Anyways, enough about Harry, what about you? Anyone special in your life or are you still getting over Lara?"  
  
"No, me and Lara are over. She is great. Too great. She's too powerful, too dangerous."  
  
"So is there anyone else now?" Ginny asked, her heart beating slightly faster. More than anything, she wanted him to say her. But she knew it was useless, Draco Malfoy would never like Virginia Weasley....  
  
"There is this one girl, and I'm really close to asking her out. She's really sweet, and beautiful and funny. But i think she's still hung up on this other guy." Ginny held her breath, not beleiving her ears and yet at the same time not trusting herself to hope.  
  
"I.... I'm sure she likes you. What girl would choose any guy over you?" She said softly, eyeing the gorgeous blonde walking beside her with apprehension. Draco looked over at the red head beside him, who was at the moment fidgeting with her nails, obviously awaiting his reply.  
  
"Does that rule extend to you?" He asked, holding out his hand and stopping her before pulling her closer.  
  
"Yes." Ginny said so softly that Draco only just caught it.  
  
"That's good to hear." He said, as he leant down and kissed Ginny softly on the lips. The red haired girl grinned into his lips, a giant bubble of happiness welling inside of her as she deepened the kiss.  
  
*END FLASHBACK*  
  
"Aw, that's so cute!" Lara said as Draco finished his recount of the tale.  
  
"So we've been going out for three days now, and I've never been happier. No offense to you or anthing, but Ginny, she makes me feel... I dunno... It's like I came alive when I met her." Draco said dreamily, leaning back on the couch adjacent to the one Lara was spread out on.  
  
"Aah, l'amour! C'est magnifique!" She said in a french accent.  
  
"Well what about you? Found anyone?" Lara refrained herself from looking over at Harry dorms, a gesture which she was sure Draco would pick up on.  
  
"Well?" A new voice said. "Are you going to answer?" Lara turned to see Harry step out of his room wearing run down baggy jeans and a tight white shirt. It took all of her energy to not drool at the sight of him.  
  
"No, not today."  
  
"Unfair! I told you!" Draco whined.  
  
"Tough." Lara said, getting comfortable on the sofa. "Now boys, do you know why you're here?"  
  
"Yes Miss." They said in unison, both mimicking childrens voices.  
  
"Even you Draco?"  
  
"Dumbledore informed me."  
  
"Good, so we can start. Seat yourselves down somewhere, anywhere, as long as you're comfortable." The two boys sat themselves down on opposite couches, wriggling a bit before becoming comfortable.  
  
"Good, now I want you to close your eyes." The Gryffindor and Slytherin followed her instructions. "Now block out all sound except the beating of your own heart. Let it's steady drum echo around you, hear it, feel it. Now reach inside your heart. There's light in there, can you see it?"  
  
"Yes." Both boys said softly, losing touch with reality and becoming part of the rhythmic beatings of their very hearts.  
  
"That's your eneregy source. It's like a flame. Resting and relaxation feed it, make it stronger. It also allows you to take energy from it, if the need arises. But if you take too much, the flame can die. You can't let that happen. Understand?"  
  
"Yes." The boys said again, in the same tone as before.  
  
"Good. Now I want you to slowly take some of the light. Not too much, just make a small channel for it to filter out. Now concentrate on your favourite food. Imagine what it looks like, what it tastes like, what it feels like. As the energy filters out, mould it into the image you have created. Bend and curve the energy, you are it's master, not the other way around."  
  
"Once the image is completed, close the channel. Now slowly, open your eyes. Not too quickly as for the first time the shock to the system may be too much." The boys followed her instructions, and slowly felt the world come into focus around them.  
  
Both boys were even more shocked when they saw the food they had imagined floating in mid air in front of them in all it's glory. Slowly, Draco reached up and took hold of the spinning plate of chocolate ice cream and brought it down slowly. Grabbing a spoon from the table, he dipped it into the ice cream and ate a tiny portion of it.  
  
"Not too good. The textures a bit wrong and it tastes a bit off."  
  
"That's alright, it's only you're first time. Actually it's suprisingly good considering you've never done it before." Harry, having watched Draco eat his creation with doubt, now slowly took down the plate of strawberries from it's position in mid air and settled it on his lap. Taking one of the strawberries, he tentivly bit off the end of it. His eyes widened in surprise.  
  
"It's good!" He said, popping the rest of the strawberry in his mouth and slowly sucking on it to prove his point. Lara watched entranced as the brilliant red fruit was slowly and tantilisingly consumed by the black haired boy. Meanwhile, Draco was watching the scene unfold with an amused grin on his face.  
  
Lara, snapping back to reality, shook her head and sat up from her position on the couch.  
  
"Okay, I think that's enough for now. If we over do it, you'll take too much energy and end up like me."  
  
"I think I'll head up to lunch then."  
  
"You can have it with us if you want."  
  
"Naa, sorry. Nothing against you but....you know, Ginny."  
  
"Yeah yeah, I know." Lara said, grinning at the blonde as he got up from his position on the couch. Before heading out the door, he leant down beside Lara as if to give her a quick kiss good bye. Instead, he bent down by her ear and whispered something softly in her ear.  
  
"I know you like Potter. Interesting choice...." He said, before straightening up and heading out the door. Lara stared after the blonde, her ability to speak momentarily forgotten.  
  
"What was that about?"  
  
"He's just trying to guess who I like." Lara said huffily.  
  
"From your reaction, I think he guessed right." Lara didn't trust herself to reply.  
  
"Come on, lets eat." She said instead. Harry gave her a weird look before joining her down on the carpet.  
  
**************************  
  
15 minutes later, the pair had finished their lunch. Lara was lying back on the couch, while Harry had maintained his position on the floor beside her.  
  
"Are we going to do more training today?"  
  
"Yeah, when Draco comes back."  
  
"Cool. I'm enjoying this."  
  
"You are now, just wait!" Lara said, a cheeky grin inhabiting her face.  
  
"Don't say that! Did you have to go through all this?"  
  
"All of it."  
  
"Was it easier for you, because you're more powerful and all?"  
  
"Not really, I actually sucked really bad at this in the beginning. Being more powerful just means I have more energy to use, not necessarily a greater ability to use it."  
  
"How much more energy?"  
  
"It's hard to describe. You can't really measure power in anyway I can put into words."  
  
"Can I see then?"  
  
"How?"  
  
"Do that little meditation thingo, but listening to your heart instead of mine. Would that work?"  
  
"Yeah, I've done it before."  
  
"Cool, shove over a bit." Lara shuffled across the couch, allowing Harry to sit beside her. Resting his hand on her heart, he leaned closer, listening to her heart steadily beating and blocking out all other sound. Slowly, he closed his eyes and felt her hear beat grow louder, until it filled his veins and became part of him. Reaching inside her heart, he saw her source of energy.  
  
It wasn't bigger than his, and it was only slightly brighter. But there was something about it, something about the aura surrounding the light that made it immediately obvious that it contained tremendous power. Slowly, Harry opened his eyes and shifted back into the real world, Lara's heart beat slowly fading.  
  
"I know what you mean." He said softly, although there was no need to whisper. Harry was suddenly acutely aware of how close he was to Lara. He could feel her breathing below him, feel her chest rising and falling.  
  
And although he knew he should get up, he didn't want to. He wanted to stay by her, stay close to her.  
  
*When did this happen? I used to hate her and now.... what do I feel? This doesn't feel like any sort of crush I've ever had. This feels like...this feels like love.* Harry thought, the idea somehow bringing warmth into his heart.  
  
"Do you know what our password means?" Lara asked softly. Harry started slightly at the sudden change in conversation, sitting up grudgingly.  
  
"It's latin, that's all I know."  
  
"Contemno contra Amor. Hate against love. Interesting isn't it?" Harry frowned as the true meaning of those words sunk in.  
  
Somebody had put them in this room for a reason. Somebody had known this would happen, that he would fall in love with the one girl he thought he hated. The true question was, did she love him back?  
  
"I wonder how they knew." Harry said softly.  
  
"Knew what?" Lara asked, sitting up slightly.  
  
"That...that...." But he couldn't say it.  
  
Harry Potter, the boy who lived, who had saved lives and survived the most powerful curse known to wizard kind, could not tell Larrissa Black how much she meant to him. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't do it.  
  
"That hate and love are so closely related." Harry finished. Lara frowned slightly at this.  
  
*I was so sure he was going to tell me, tell me that he loved me. Maybe he doesn't after all....*  
  
"Yeah, I wonder." Lara said softly. Turning to the table, she noticed that the main course had dissappeared and an assortment of sweets had replaced it. "Look, dessert." She said simply.  
  
Slowly, they got off the couch and began to pick at the assorted goods spread about the table, trying to ignore the nagging voice in both their heads that kept on saying the same thing, again and again.  
  
You should've said it.... 


	17. Training and then some

CHAPTER Sixteen  
  
A loud knocking at the door interupted Lara's thoughts. Getting up slowly, she waddled to the door and opened it slowly.  
  
"Draco!" Lara said happily, throwing her arms around him and losing balance at the same time.  
  
"Hey, I know you love me and all but hands off! I'm attatched now!" He said, grinning as he assisted Lara back to the couch and laid her down.  
  
"Sorry, I'm still a bit weak. But what do you mean... attatched? You don't mean, you and....and... Ginny?" The blonde nodded enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"I had no idea you guys talked." Lara said, not being able to hide the small twinge of jealousy in the pit of her stomach.  
  
"Yeah, we've been getting really close while you were in the hospital wing."  
  
"How long exactly was I in there?"  
  
"A week." Draco said simply, eyeing the lunch the house elves had left for Lara and Harry apprehensively.  
  
"Help yourself." Lara said, noticing him eyeing the food. "So what happened? Tell me!" She said enthusiastically as Draco nibbled on an apple.  
  
"It was last Friday. And we had just had lunch, and I invited her for a walk around the lake. And we got talking...."  
  
*FLASHBACK*  
  
"So, how is the crush on Potter going? Still nice and healthy?" Draco asked, as he led Ginny down the steps and towards the lake.  
  
"It's not as bad actually. I think I'm over him. No scrap that, I am over him."  
  
"Finally."  
  
"I know I know. But he was so sweet and cute. You'd be hard pressed to find a girl that doesn't like him."  
  
"Lara doesn't." Draco said, not liking the turn the conversation was going.  
  
"But that's Lara isn't it? She's something different, she's not like most people. A lot like Harry in that respect. I reckon they would make a great couple, if they didn't hate each other so much of course." Ginny said thoughtfully.  
  
"I doubt it'll ever change."  
  
"Yeah...probably. Anyways, enough about Harry, what about you? Anyone special in your life or are you still getting over Lara?"  
  
"No, me and Lara are over. She is great. Too great. She's too powerful, too dangerous."  
  
"So is there anyone else now?" Ginny asked, her heart beating slightly faster. More than anything, she wanted him to say her. But she knew it was useless, Draco Malfoy would never like Virginia Weasley....  
  
"There is this one girl, and I'm really close to asking her out. She's really sweet, and beautiful and funny. But i think she's still hung up on this other guy." Ginny held her breath, not beleiving her ears and yet at the same time not trusting herself to hope.  
  
"I.... I'm sure she likes you. What girl would choose any guy over you?" She said softly, eyeing the gorgeous blonde walking beside her with apprehension. Draco looked over at the red head beside him, who was at the moment fidgeting with her nails, obviously awaiting his reply.  
  
"Does that rule extend to you?" He asked, holding out his hand and stopping her before pulling her closer.  
  
"Yes." Ginny said so softly that Draco only just caught it.  
  
"That's good to hear." He said, as he leant down and kissed Ginny softly on the lips. The red haired girl grinned into his lips, a giant bubble of happiness welling inside of her as she deepened the kiss.  
  
*END FLASHBACK*  
  
"Aw, that's so cute!" Lara said as Draco finished his recount of the tale.  
  
"So we've been going out for three days now, and I've never been happier. No offense to you or anthing, but Ginny, she makes me feel... I dunno... It's like I came alive when I met her." Draco said dreamily, leaning back on the couch adjacent to the one Lara was spread out on.  
  
"Aah, l'amour! C'est magnifique!" She said in a french accent.  
  
"Well what about you? Found anyone?" Lara refrained herself from looking over at Harry dorms, a gesture which she was sure Draco would pick up on.  
  
"Well?" A new voice said. "Are you going to answer?" Lara turned to see Harry step out of his room wearing run down baggy jeans and a tight white shirt. It took all of her energy to not drool at the sight of him.  
  
"No, not today."  
  
"Unfair! I told you!" Draco whined.  
  
"Tough." Lara said, getting comfortable on the sofa. "Now boys, do you know why you're here?"  
  
"Yes Miss." They said in unison, both mimicking childrens voices.  
  
"Even you Draco?"  
  
"Dumbledore informed me."  
  
"Good, so we can start. Seat yourselves down somewhere, anywhere, as long as you're comfortable." The two boys sat themselves down on opposite couches, wriggling a bit before becoming comfortable.  
  
"Good, now I want you to close your eyes." The Gryffindor and Slytherin followed her instructions. "Now block out all sound except the beating of your own heart. Let it's steady drum echo around you, hear it, feel it. Now reach inside your heart. There's light in there, can you see it?"  
  
"Yes." Both boys said softly, losing touch with reality and becoming part of the rhythmic beatings of their very hearts.  
  
"That's your eneregy source. It's like a flame. Resting and relaxation feed it, make it stronger. It also allows you to take energy from it, if the need arises. But if you take too much, the flame can die. You can't let that happen. Understand?"  
  
"Yes." The boys said again, in the same tone as before.  
  
"Good. Now I want you to slowly take some of the light. Not too much, just make a small channel for it to filter out. Now concentrate on your favourite food. Imagine what it looks like, what it tastes like, what it feels like. As the energy filters out, mould it into the image you have created. Bend and curve the energy, you are it's master, not the other way around."  
  
"Once the image is completed, close the channel. Now slowly, open your eyes. Not too quickly as for the first time the shock to the system may be too much." The boys followed her instructions, and slowly felt the world come into focus around them.  
  
Both boys were even more shocked when they saw the food they had imagined floating in mid air in front of them in all it's glory. Slowly, Draco reached up and took hold of the spinning plate of chocolate ice cream and brought it down slowly. Grabbing a spoon from the table, he dipped it into the ice cream and ate a tiny portion of it.  
  
"Not too good. The textures a bit wrong and it tastes a bit off."  
  
"That's alright, it's only you're first time. Actually it's suprisingly good considering you've never done it before." Harry, having watched Draco eat his creation with doubt, now slowly took down the plate of strawberries from it's position in mid air and settled it on his lap. Taking one of the strawberries, he tentivly bit off the end of it. His eyes widened in surprise.  
  
"It's good!" He said, popping the rest of the strawberry in his mouth and slowly sucking on it to prove his point. Lara watched entranced as the brilliant red fruit was slowly and tantilisingly consumed by the black haired boy. Meanwhile, Draco was watching the scene unfold with an amused grin on his face.  
  
Lara, snapping back to reality, shook her head and sat up from her position on the couch.  
  
"Okay, I think that's enough for now. If we over do it, you'll take too much energy and end up like me."  
  
"I think I'll head up to lunch then."  
  
"You can have it with us if you want."  
  
"Naa, sorry. Nothing against you but....you know, Ginny."  
  
"Yeah yeah, I know." Lara said, grinning at the blonde as he got up from his position on the couch. Before heading out the door, he leant down beside Lara as if to give her a quick kiss good bye. Instead, he bent down by her ear and whispered something softly in her ear.  
  
"I know you like Potter. Interesting choice...." He said, before straightening up and heading out the door. Lara stared after the blonde, her ability to speak momentarily forgotten.  
  
"What was that about?"  
  
"He's just trying to guess who I like." Lara said huffily.  
  
"From your reaction, I think he guessed right." Lara didn't trust herself to reply.  
  
"Come on, lets eat." She said instead. Harry gave her a weird look before joining her down on the carpet.  
  
**************************  
  
15 minutes later, the pair had finished their lunch. Lara was lying back on the couch, while Harry had maintained his position on the floor beside her.  
  
"Are we going to do more training today?"  
  
"Yeah, when Draco comes back."  
  
"Cool. I'm enjoying this."  
  
"You are now, just wait!" Lara said, a cheeky grin inhabiting her face.  
  
"Don't say that! Did you have to go through all this?"  
  
"All of it."  
  
"Was it easier for you, because you're more powerful and all?"  
  
"Not really, I actually sucked really bad at this in the beginning. Being more powerful just means I have more energy to use, not necessarily a greater ability to use it."  
  
"How much more energy?"  
  
"It's hard to describe. You can't really measure power in anyway I can put into words."  
  
"Can I see then?"  
  
"How?"  
  
"Do that little meditation thingo, but listening to your heart instead of mine. Would that work?"  
  
"Yeah, I've done it before."  
  
"Cool, shove over a bit." Lara shuffled across the couch, allowing Harry to sit beside her. Resting his hand on her heart, he leaned closer, listening to her heart steadily beating and blocking out all other sound. Slowly, he closed his eyes and felt her hear beat grow louder, until it filled his veins and became part of him. Reaching inside her heart, he saw her source of energy.  
  
It wasn't bigger than his, and it was only slightly brighter. But there was something about it, something about the aura surrounding the light that made it immediately obvious that it contained tremendous power. Slowly, Harry opened his eyes and shifted back into the real world, Lara's heart beat slowly fading.  
  
"I know what you mean." He said softly, although there was no need to whisper. Harry was suddenly acutely aware of how close he was to Lara. He could feel her breathing below him, feel her chest rising and falling.  
  
And although he knew he should get up, he didn't want to. He wanted to stay by her, stay close to her.  
  
*When did this happen? I used to hate her and now.... what do I feel? This doesn't feel like any sort of crush I've ever had. This feels like...this feels like love.* Harry thought, the idea somehow bringing warmth into his heart.  
  
"Do you know what our password means?" Lara asked softly. Harry started slightly at the sudden change in conversation, sitting up grudgingly.  
  
"It's latin, that's all I know."  
  
"Contemno contra Amor. Hate against love. Interesting isn't it?" Harry frowned as the true meaning of those words sunk in.  
  
Somebody had put them in this room for a reason. Somebody had known this would happen, that he would fall in love with the one girl he thought he hated. The true question was, did she love him back?  
  
"I wonder how they knew." Harry said softly.  
  
"Knew what?" Lara asked, sitting up slightly.  
  
"That...that...." But he couldn't say it.  
  
Harry Potter, the boy who lived, who had saved lives and survived the most powerful curse known to wizard kind, could not tell Larrissa Black how much she meant to him. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't do it.  
  
"That hate and love are so closely related." Harry finished. Lara frowned slightly at this.  
  
*I was so sure he was going to tell me, tell me that he loved me. Maybe he doesn't after all....*  
  
"Yeah, I wonder." Lara said softly. Turning to the table, she noticed that the main course had dissappeared and an assortment of sweets had replaced it. "Look, dessert." She said simply.  
  
Slowly, they got off the couch and began to pick at the assorted goods spread about the table, trying to ignore the nagging voice in both their heads that kept on saying the same thing, again and again.  
  
You should've said it.... 


	18. Soooo bloody obvious

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN  
  
After much pleading and begging, Harry and Larrissa were once again allowed to eat at the Gryffindor table, after constantly arguing that "without classes, we won't be able to see our friends at all."  
  
Although they had finally won, both were almost positive that Dumbledore's decision had nothing to do with their constant nagging. Quite the contrary, they believed it had more to do with the development in their relationship, which had finally become something resembling a very strong friendship.  
  
If you looked closer, however, you could see that there was more to their friendship than that. Constant glances at meal times and in the corridors, looking at each other with pained expressions whenever the other wasn't looking; all these small signs would tell a perceptive onlooker the depth of their feelings for one another.  
  
But of course, both were too stubborn to do anything about it.  
  
Energy magic training continued throughout the week, the trio spending most of their days in the common room practising. Once the basics were finished, Lara moved on to more complex curses.  
  
Draco was a little bit shaky at first, however Harry seemed to master anything Lara threw at him. It seemed he had a natural skill for Energy Magic, his control over the energy that flowed out of him so precise it was quickly over taking Lara's, much to her distress.  
  
Although the training was progressing, there was still a lot that needed to be covered, a fact which Lara was well aware of. She knew that Voldemort would not sit about idly in his new headquarters for long, and she feared that if they took too long, he would attack before they could stop him.  
  
**************************  
  
"Has anything happened between you and Ron?" Lara asked Hermione the next Saturday morning. She had given training a break for the day, and given them all a well deserved rest. She and Hermione were now sitting in the Gryffindor common room on two comfortable couches and having a girlie talk.  
  
"No, we're still friends." The bushy haired girl said gloomily.  
  
"This can't go on, it's so bloody obvious you two like each other, and yet you're both two scared to DO anything about it. I mean seriously...."  
  
"That's a bit rich coming from you!" Hermione said huffily.  
  
"What on earth are you going on about?"  
  
"You and Harry! It's so painstakingly obvious that you like him, and that he likes you.  
  
"You're crazy...no way." Lara interrupted.  
  
"And the reason you two aren't together isn't even because you're scared, it's because of the simple fact that you're stubborn as hell." Hermione finished, ignoring Lara's comment.  
  
"No, just...no!"  
  
"Lara. I'm you're friend, hell I'm you're best friend. I know these things. Now tell me, when did it start." Hermione said in a determined voice. The other girl let out a deep sigh, sinking further into the couch.  
  
"Just before Voldemort attacked." Lara said softly, finally giving in. "We were discussing stuff, and I dunno, he was so passionate about everything. Like he truly believed in what he was saying."  
  
"That's Harry alright." Hermione said, trying to supress a small smile.  
  
"At first I hated myself for it. I mean of all people, it had to be Potter. But now, I can't imagine NOT liking him. He's incredible. He's so focused and determined. And he's so....good. He helps people not because he expects something in return, but just because."  
  
"He's grown up with a lot of loss in his life, but instead of turning bitter over it, he's vowed to protect everything he has left."  
  
"As opposed to me, who just turned into an all-round-bitch to get over it."  
  
"You're not a bitch Lara."  
  
"Harry thinks so." The girl replied gloomily.  
  
"No he doesn't."  
  
"Have you talked to him about it?"  
  
"No, but..."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"But it's obvious!" Hermione exclaimed, ignoring the interruption again.  
  
"No it isn't."  
  
"Yes it is."  
  
"Jeez Lara! I've never seen you act like this before!"  
  
"I've never felt like this before."  
  
"Like what."  
  
"Like... like I'd die for him." Lara replied softly. Hermione made a sharp intake of breath, leaning back on the couch as the full meaning of those words washed over her.  
  
"You...you... love him?" Slowly, the other girl nodded.  
  
"With every inch of my soul." Lara said softly, ignoring the silent tears that began to well up in her eyes. "You know that prophecy?" Lara said after a short silence.  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"The child touched by the darkness will fall in love but once in her lifetime, but this love will be greater than all the loves that ever was." Lara echoed softly, smiling sadly at the meaning of the words. "It's a bit sad but it never mentions in there that the love will be returned."  
  
"Oh Lara, don't be stupid! He feels the same, I'm sure of it."  
  
"You're just trying to make me feel better."  
  
"No, I'm not." Hermione said.  
  
"Yes, you are." Lara said stubbornly, and with that, she got up off the couch and walked out of the common room, not wanting the conversation to continue down the road it was.  
  
**************  
  
"There's another Yule Ball coming up you know." Harry said casually.  
  
"Yeah, so?" Ron replied, leaning back on his bed. They were in the Gryffindor boys dormitory, and Harry was using his last few moments (before curfew demanded him to return to his rooms) to catch up with his friend.  
  
"When are you going to get the guts to ask Hermione, before someone else does?"  
  
"Harry..."  
  
"Remember what happened last time? With Krum? Do you want some other guy to steal her away again?"  
  
"No but..."  
  
"But what? Hurry up and ask the girl out! It's getting ridiculous!"  
  
"What if she says no?"  
  
"Ron?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"She's not going to say no." Harry said simply, before getting up from Dean's bed and walking out.  
  
When he reached the common room, he saw Lara getting up from her position on a couch next to Hermione and walk out of the portrait hall. Quickening his pace, he caught up with her just outside the portrait.  
  
"Hey, did you talk to Hermione about Ron?"  
  
"Yeah, though not for long."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Our conversation swerved slightly." Lara said simply, not daring to divulge the true nature of their talk.  
  
"Oh?" Harry said questioningly.  
  
"Girl stuff, don't worry." Lara said in reply. Harry shrugged his shoulders as Lara said the password, opening the door to their dorms and making her way in.  
  
The pair made their way to their respective dormitories, changing into their sleepwear before heading to the bathroom at the same time.  
  
"Did you talk to Ron then?" Lara asked through a mouthful of toothpaste.  
  
"Yeah, I'm trying to convince him to ask her to the Yule Ball."  
  
"Oh yeah? And, any luck?"  
  
"Maybe, we'll have to see. He's major fear is that she's going to reject him."  
  
"When it's so bloody obvious she's not."  
  
"I dunno, it is to us, but maybe it's not to him."  
  
"Maybe." Lara said, as she spat ungracefully into the bowl and cleared her mouth with water.  
  
"Are you going to bed now?"  
  
"Don't think so. Why?"  
  
"I....er.... need help." Harry said slowly, disliking the idea of asking her for help.  
  
"What subject?" Lara said exasperatedly, but with an amused smile on her face.  
  
"Potions." Harry said shortly. "It's always potions."  
  
"That explains it then." Lara said, not completely hiding a grin as she exited the bathroom.  
  
**********************************  
  
"Hey Hermione." Ron said casually, plopping himself down on the couch Lara had recently freed.  
  
"Hey Ron, where were you?"  
  
"Up in the dorm, talking to Harry."  
  
"Guys talk?"  
  
"Not like chicks do, we don't need to talk for hours to get the point across."  
  
"We don't either, but we like too. It takes brains to have a civilised conversation."  
  
"It's not like we can't, we just have better things to do." Ron said huffily, defending his half of the population.  
  
"Like what? Perving on girls?" Hermione said, an evil grin the she had caught from Lara flickering across her face.  
  
"And other stuff." Ron said vaguely. Hermione chuckled.  
  
"Sure sure." She said.  
  
"Anyways." Ron said in a tone that clearly said *this conversation is over.* "Have you got a date for the Yule Ball yet?" He said casually, not trying to give away his true meaning behind the question.  
  
"Nope, not yet." Hermione said, just as casually.  
  
"Oh, I see." Ron replied.  
  
The two remained in an uncomfortable silence for a while, each dying to know what the other was thinking. Finally, Ron swallowed his pride and blurted out the words that had been bursting to be said.  
  
"Do you want to go with me?" He said weakly, suddenly feeling queazy. Hermione's face lit up.  
  
"Yeah, that'd be great." She said quickly. Both Gryffindors released sighs of relief.  
  
"It took me a while didn't it?" Ron said.  
  
"To ask me? Yeah it did." Hermione said, a small smile threatening to consume her lips.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"It's alright." She said, the smile turning into an all out grin as she got up from the couch, gave Ron a quick peck on the cheek and headed off up stairs to her dormitory.  
  
Ron, frozen to his seat, gently touched the spot where she had kissed him.  
  
"Yes!" He yelled, jumping from his seat suddenly and frightening a group of 3rd years nearby. "Sorry." He said cheekily before racing up the stairs to his own dormitory, making a mental note to thank Harry next time he saw him.  
  
*********************  
  
"So the dragons scales needs to be added after the mandrake but before the toads eyes?"  
  
"Yes. And how much of it?"  
  
"Two ounces." Harry said proudly.  
  
"Yes!" Lara said happily, slamming the potions book shut and leaning back on the couch, sighing contentedly. They had been studying for hours, and had finally finished at quarter to midnight.  
  
"That wasn't that hard. How come Snape makes it seem so difficult?"  
  
"I dunno, probably gets some sadistic pleasure out of annoying the hell out of Gryffindor students."  
  
"I don't know why, when the Slytherins are so much more fun to annoy." Lara chuckled.  
  
"Agreed." She said, before spreading out lengthwise on the couch, her feet in Harry's lap. "So." She said, changing the subject. "Who is Mr. Potter going to take to the Yule Ball."  
  
"No bloody idea, and it's beginning to annoy me."  
  
"Seriously? But you've had hundreds of girls ask you! They don't stop coming!"  
  
"True." Harry said, grinning immodestly. "But they're all the same. They want me for the looks, or the fame, I mean seriously, I'm a real person!"  
  
"Really? I took you for the feline type. Sorry." Lara said, trying to sound serious but failing miserably. Harry laughed, looking at Lara with a genuine smile on his face.  
  
"You are something Miss Black."  
  
"No need to remind me."  
  
"So who are you taking?" Harry asked casually.  
  
"No one, and it's pissing me off too."  
  
"Well..." Harry said slowly, trying to control the embarrassed blush the was creeping up his face. "Why don't we...we go together?" He stuttered. "As friends?" He ammened, finishing quickly.  
  
Lara, who's heart had leapt at his invitation, plummeted down to settle somewhere below her stomach at his last comment.  
  
"Yeah, okay." She said casually, not hiding her dissappointment  
  
*Hey, at least I'll be going with Harry, even if it's just as friends.*  
  
"But that's only if we can go." Lara finished, a thought suddenly crossing her mind.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Voldemort. You guys are getting better. Especially you. You're better at Energy magic than I am, as much as it kills me to admit it." Harry grinned at this, but didn't push his luck on the subject. "We'll be leaving to confront him any time, and we may miss the Yule Ball."  
  
"I'm sure we'll have defeated him before then, the balls only in six weeks time."  
  
"That's not what I'm scared of. I'm pretty sure we will confront him before then too. I'm just scared we may not make it back." Lara said softly, finally voicing the fear that had tortured her for the past week. Harry paled slightly at her words as she sat up, moving closer to him on the couch.  
  
"We will make it back." Harry said determindly, though refusing to look her in the eye.  
  
"I hope so." Lara said softly.  
  
"Hey." Harry said, turning to face her on the couch and cupping her face with his hands. "Don't hope. Believe."  
  
"Like you believe in love?"  
  
"Yes. Like I believe in love." Harry said softly, watching her brown eyes glitter in the firelight. Lara looked back at him, their eyes linking for one brief moment. She opened her mouth to say it; those words that had been dying to pour out from her heart but which she had kept at bay for fear of rejection.  
  
But she couldn't say it.  
  
Instead, she lowered her eyes, breaking eye contact with the green eyed boy. He smiled sadly before getting up off the couch and heading to his rooms. And as Lara watched the retreating Gryffindor, she whispered the words she couldn't say.  
  
"I love you." 


	19. A little accident or two

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN  
  
Harry manged to fall unconscious during training a week later.  
  
Harry and Lara had been practising a particularly effective, and thus difficult, defense spell. Harry, in all his concentration of creating a defense, forgot to close the channel allowing his energy out. Thus, the light from within his heart continued to flow out well after the spell had been completed. So much so, in fact, that he had no energy left to power his brain and it shut down competely, rendering him unconscious.  
  
"Enervate." Lara whispered over the unconscious form of Harry. The boy's eyes fluttered open, his mind taking a few minutes to process what happened. As soon as it did, his cheeks flushed a vibrant red.  
  
"Sorry." He said, looking thoroughly ashamed of his lack of control over his energy.  
  
"Don't apologize." Lara said simply, as she gently picked Harry up with a spell and levitated him to the couch, where she deposited him gently.  
  
"What happens now?" Harry said wearily, knowing that he had severly drained his energy supply, a feat which would take at least a week to recover from.  
  
"It will take a week at least for you to recover." Harry winced, looking worriedly up at Lara, who was standing over him.  
  
"I was stupid...." Harry muttered, hating himself for letting it happen.  
  
"No, it wasn't. It was a mistake." Lara said, crouching down so she was level with Harry on the couch. "But it doesn't matter. You've mastered you're training. Hell, you're better than me. You're ready to fight. Just relax this week okay? Store up your energy. I'll finish up Draco's training."  
  
"We're going to fall behind schedule." Harry whined.  
  
"No, we're not. Draco needs another week of training anyway."  
  
"Hey! I'm not that bad!" The subject of the conversation yelled from the doorway. He had obviously just finished his dinner and come to their dorms for some more training before bedtime.  
  
"How the hell did you get in?" Harry said grumpily.  
  
"Lara gave me the password."  
  
"Why did you do something stupid like that?"  
  
"It wasn't stupid. Come on, surely you've learnt by now that he's trustworthy, contrary to your prior belief."  
  
"But....but what if he..."  
  
"But what if he what? What's he going to do Harry?"  
  
"Molest us in our sleep?"  
  
"Oh please Potter, I'd never do something so vulgar. But turn on all you're bathroom taps so your room's flooded in the morning, that's something I'm likely do."  
  
"Draco.." Lara said warningly, in a voice that clearly said *don't even think about it*  
  
"But of course, I'll never do that, because I'm on the good side now." Draco said in mock disgust.  
  
"You love it Draco, admit it."  
  
"Never." Draco said before plopping himself down on an adjacent couch. "Now what are we waiting for? Let's train!"  
  
"It's just you and me for the next week Malfoy, although Harry will be watching."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He.. er.. had an accident." Lara said simply.  
  
"He released too much energy didn't he? Silly prat..."  
  
"Shut up Draco, at least he can do the spells." Lara snapped. Draco narrowed his eyes at the brown haired girl, not trusting himself to reply. "Now let's get training."  
  
"Fine." Draco said huffily, getting up and facing Lara in the middle of the common room.  
  
"I'm going to throw a hex at you okay? Don't worry, it's nothing serious." She added, noticing the look of fear the flashed across Draco's face. "It'll be a simple jelly legs curse, but it'll be a very strong version of it. You have to block it with a defense, okay?"  
  
"Just a question." Draco said quickly, as Lara was raising her wand to strike.  
  
"Yes?" She said exasperatedly.  
  
"We need Energy Magic to attack demons, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"But why are we learning defense spells in Energy form?"  
  
"Because a demons attacks are also stronger than most hexes, and require stronger defenses."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yes, well, are you ready?" Lara said, bordering on impatience.  
  
"Alright, alright! Don't get your knickers in a knot!" Lara narrowed her eyes, raising her wand and casting the spell as a way of venting her anger out on the blonde haired Slytherin. As quick as lightening, the boy closed his eyes and summoned the defense spell. The curse hit the barrier with a sickening crack, and the sound of shattering glass filled the room.  
  
"Okay, good, your shield worked, but it's better if it doesn't crack. That way you'll be prepared for whatever curse he throws at you next."  
  
"Why can't you just keep a permanent shield up?" Harry asked from his view on the couch.  
  
"How do you expect to attack when your curses are blocked?" Lara said, answering his query with another question.  
  
***********  
  
"Okay, a lot of improvement today. I think that's enough for one night."  
  
"Finally, I'm exhausted."  
  
"So am I." Lara said wearily, flopping down on the couch as Draco made to exit the dormitory.  
  
"Oh, by the way, I almost forgot." He said suddenly, just as he had reached the doorway.  
  
"What is it?" Lara asked, turning around on the couch to face him.  
  
"I caugh Weasley and Granger making out in a closet today!" He said, exiting the room quickly before Lara or Harry could extract any more information out of him.  
  
"WHAT?" They both yelled after the retreating Slytherin, but he had already shut the door, muffling their yells.  
  
"You reckon he's telling the truth?" Harry asked.  
  
"He wouldn't lie, not about something like that."  
  
"I wish I could interogate them about it." Harry said, sighing whistfully. Lara grinned evilly.  
  
"I think I'm going to do just that." She said, before getting up off the couch and entering her room. She came out seconds later with a legnth of silvery fabric, undeniably an invisibility cloak.  
  
"Report back to me when you return!" Harry yelled after her as she exited the dorm and made her way to Gryffindor tower, throwing the cloak over her shoulders as she went.  
  
**********  
  
"Titilandus." Lara whispered to the Fat Lady, before entering the common room and spotting Ron and Hermione sitting VERY CLOSE together on the couch. The brown haired girl watched from the shadows as the Common Room empty and the pair were left alone.  
  
Or so they thought.  
  
"Is everyone gone." Hermione whispered, looking around.  
  
"I think so." Ron said seductively in the girls ear, before leaning over and kissing her softly on the lips.  
  
"Mm... who cares?" Hermione said, giggling like a school girl as she pulled Ron closer into a deeper kiss. After a few minutes, the couple had progressed to an all out snog session. Lara, having had enough of watching her two friends snog, decided to interrupt their session.  
  
"So it's true then?" She said amusedly, stepping out of her invisbility cloak and walking around the couch so she was facing them. The couple both wore identical looks of horror and shock on their faces. They sprang apart instinctively, Hermione obsessively smoothing her skirt and trying to fix her dishevelled hair.  
  
"What's true?" She said, obviously trying to avoid the question.  
  
"Don't play dumb Hermione, because I know you're not. You and Ron, going out! Since when?"  
  
"Well, it's been four days actually." Ron said sheepishly. Lara laughed.  
  
"You're serious? It's times like this I wish I was still living in Gryffindor Tower, I would've picked up on it a long time ago."  
  
"How did you find out?" Hermione asked curiously.  
  
"Draco." Lara said simply.  
  
"That bastard! He promised he wouldn't tell!"  
  
"Oh give the guy a break! He was walking around with the juiciest bit of gossip at Hogwarts and you expect him to keep quiet?"  
  
"Well it would've been nice." Hermione said grumpily.  
  
"Everyone's bound to find out anyway." Lara said airly. "So who else knows?"  
  
"No one, except you and Malfoy and some stupid first year that walked in on us last night." Ron said.  
  
"Why do you want to keep it a secret anyways?"  
  
"We just wanted some privacy for a bit, you know?"  
  
"Sounds a bit silly. I'd just get it out in the open, coz then you wouldn't have to wait till the common room clears just so you can have a snog."  
  
"How long were you standing there?" Hermione asked suspiciously.  
  
"Long enough." Lara said, smirking. "So who initated the first kiss?"  
  
"What is this, twenty questions?" Ron said, going slightly red.  
  
"Come on, I'm your friend. I have a right to know."  
  
"Alright." Hermione said, knowing full well that if the roles were reversed, she would be just as curious as Lara was being. "It was a mutual sort of thing. We were downstairs, the day after we had that.. er... discussion." Lara nodded, while Ron looked on curiously.  
  
"The day he asked you to the Yule Ball." Lara said, remembering Hermione telling her of the conversation she had with Ron just after she'd left the common room.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"How did you know?" Ron asked, confused.  
  
"Girl talk." Lara said, grinning, before motioning for Hermione to continue.  
  
"And we were studying, innocently." Lara snorted at this, but didn't comment. "We'd been shuffling our chairs closer together the whole night, until finally I leaned across to pick up a quill and our shoulders brushed. And then we sorted, leaned in at the same time and well....we kissed."  
  
"Aw, how cute." Lara said, smiling at her two friends who were by now blushing very dark shades of red. "Well I'd better go now and relate all this to Harry. He'd have come too, but there was a little accident with training this afternoon."  
  
"What happened?" Hermione asked worriedly, her blush disappearing as a concerned face crossed her features.  
  
"Nothing too bad, he just used too much magic. He's going to have to stay in bed for a couple of days and relax, get his strength back." Lara said softly. Her words reminded her of the task that lay ahead, of her up coming encounter with Voldemort. Her smile, which had stayed on her face throughout the entire conversation with the couple, now faded.  
  
"How long until you have to face Him?" Ron asked, understanding the cause of her fading smile.  
  
"A week, two. Not much longer than that."  
  
"Are you scared?" He asked softly. Lara nodded.  
  
"But not for me." She said, before walking out of the common room. Just outside the portrait, she sweeped the invisibility cloak over her shoulders before heading back to her rooms, not being able to hide the icy fear that had welled up inside her.  
  
*******************  
  
"Well?" Harry asked impatiently as soon as she got back.  
  
"I told you Draco didn't lie." She said simply, shaking off her fear and forcing a smile on her face.  
  
"You're serious? So they're together? Since when?"  
  
"Four days ago, the day after our little chats with them."  
  
"Well about time." Harry said happily, smiling. Lara smiled softly back, although her heart wasn't in it.  
  
Harry noticed.  
  
"Something's eating you." Harry said simply. Lara glanced over at Harry, a mask of worry and hopelessness creasing her features.  
  
"I'm not usually scared. It's one of the few emotions I don't portray often, along with kindness and compassion. But when I do fear, hell... I'm terrified. And right now, right now Harry, I am scared. More scared than I've ever been in my life."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I... it's because of Voldemort. I...." But she couldn't finish the sentence. Because the true reason behind her fear was her worry for Harry, and she couldn't' voice it just yet.  
  
"I know. I'm scared too. But we're going to do this, we're going to go in there and fight and we're going to win." Lara smiled softly, getting up from her sofa and making her way to Harry's couch. The dark haired boy sat up slightly, allowing room for Lara to sit, before laying back down on her lap.  
  
"What makes you so sure?" She said, subconsciously raising her hand and stroking Harry's hair.  
  
"We're in it together Lara." He said, looking up into her eyes as she looked down into his.  
  
"Don't forget Draco" Lara laughed knowing how much the infamous Slytherin would hate being forgotten in ANY situation.  
  
"Yes... we can never forget him." Harry said, rolling his eyes. This look of exasperation was then replaced by a more serious face. "Do you still like him?" He asked her suddenly.  
  
"I broke up with him Harry. Of course I don't like him that way..." She drifted off. An uncomfortable silence settled over the two as identical thoughts passed through their minds.  
  
*Just say it... Just blurt it out.*  
  
*But what if she doesn't like me?*  
  
"Lara." Harry said simply.  
  
"Yeah.."  
  
"Remember that prophecy?"  
  
"The one claiming I will fall in love?"  
  
"And that love will be greater than all the loves that ever was?" Harry finished.  
  
"Yeah... what about it?"  
  
"Do you think that prophecy was talking about Draco?" Harry questioned, getting slightly drowsy from his magical exhaustion and from Lara stroking his hair gently.  
  
"No, it wasn't." Lara replied without hesitation.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I... I just do." She finished lamely. Harry nodded, turning his body onto it's side and curling up slightly. "Don't go getting comfortable now Harry." Lara said warningly, wriggling slightly.  
  
"Mmmm.." Harry mumbled sleepily, obviously too far down the land of dreams to register what the girl had said. Lara rolled her eyes at the sleeping boy.  
  
"Fine, I'll drift you to bed myself." Lara said huffily, waving her hand slightly so that Harry's figure rose from the couch. She guided him across the common room and into his room, resting him on the bed.  
  
"Goodnight Harry." She said softly from the doorway, knowing full well that Dumbledore's spell prevented her from entering his room.  
  
Sighing, she turned around and headed back to her own room, settling herself into bed. 


	20. Goodbyes

CHAPTER NINETEEN  
  
"What do you mean we're going tomorrow?" Draco yelled, close to hysteria.  
  
"Exactly what you heard Draco! We are leaving for the ministry tomorrow. We're ready, and we can't hold it off much longer."  
  
"But... but..."  
  
"But what?" Lara snapped. Harry, from his seat on the opposite couch to her, sighed deeply. He had fully recovered from the training accident a week before, and was healthier than he had ever been. Of course, the problem was, with his rapid healing process and Draco's mastering of Energy Magic, the date for their confrontation with Voldemort was moving closer.  
  
"I'm... I'm not ready!" The blonde whined.  
  
"We're as ready as we ever will be Draco! If it's not tomorrow than when? We have to fight him sometime!"  
  
"I know... but I'm scared."  
  
"Of course you're scared! So am I! So is Harry!"  
  
"Well I'm not like you! I don't go off fighting battles and defeating evil every other weekend!" Draco yelled, standing up from the couch he had been sitting in.  
  
"It's not like that Draco! We're not more prepared than you are or anything like that. Me and Harry are still just as scared, but we're going out there anyway!" Lara had stood up from her chair by now, and was facing Draco.  
  
"We're going out there and fighting, because I don't know about you, but I won't be able to live with myself if I stayed behind with the knowledge that I could've done something but passed up the chance." Lara said, breathing heavily because of the emotional drain the speech had caused her.  
  
Draco's tensed shoulders relaxed as her words washed over him, comforting him in a strange sort of way.  
  
Here, in front of him, was Lara. But not the girl he had known, not the girl he had dated. No, in front of him now was the girl Voldemort had learnt to fear; and with her dark eyes the very picture of hope and her strong shoulders set in determination, it was not hard to see why.  
  
***************  
  
Draco left his final training session with Lara just as lunch was finished. They had finished early to give their bodies more time to relax and recooperate for the following day.  
  
As he made his way out of their rooms, Draco's pace quickened as he headed towards the great hall. He had to catch Ginny, before she left for her next class. He needed to see her, to hold her, because it might just be the last time he could.  
  
As Draco approached the entrance to the hall, he saw the same old bunch of Gryffindors burst from the doors, Ginny Weasley amongst them.  
  
"Gin." He cried out to her amongst the babble of his fellow students. The red head turned at the sound of her name and spotted Draco coming towards her. Immediately, her eyes brightened and a smile invaded her face.  
  
"Draco." She said happily, placing a quick peck on his check as he reached her.  
  
"What class have you got next?" He asked her as they walked away from the Great Hall. Ginny pulled a face.  
  
"Potions." She said wearily.  
  
"Good, so you won't mind missing it then?"  
  
"Why would I be missing it?" Ginny asked curiously as she let Draco steer her away from the passage to Gryffindor Tower, instead leading her towards the stone steps that connected to the Hogwarts Grounds.  
  
"Because I want to spend the day with you." He said simply as he descended the steps and led her across the lawn.  
  
"It's the weekend in two days. You can spend Saturday and Sunday with me then." Ginny said, grinning at her enthusiastic boyfriend as she tried to pull Draco back towards the castle.  
  
"I might not be here then." Draco said softly. At those words, Ginny stopped in her tracks. Draco stopped with her, turning to face the red head.  
  
"What do you mean Draco? Why won't you be here?"  
  
"We're leaving tomorrow." The blonde said softly. And despite the vague nature of his words, Ginny understood exactly what he meant.  
  
"So soon? But......... but you're not ready, you haven't finished training yet have you? And Harry... he hasn't recovered." Ginny said desperatedly.  
  
"He has, and Lara says I'm ready."  
  
"But... but I'm not ready to see you go." Ginny said weakly as tears began to well up in her eyes. Normally she would've fought to keep them back, but the situation was just too out of her control for her to bother.  
  
"Gin, I know. I don't wanna go. But I have to. This is something bigger than you or me, this is about good and evil. I can't turn my back on it, not now." Draco said, averting his eyes slightly so Ginny wouldn't see the tears welling up in his own eyes.  
  
*Malfoy's don't cry.* He thought furiously. Silently, Ginny reached out and took hold of her boyfriends hand, steering him away from the castle and towards the infamous tree beside the lake.  
  
"Sit with me." She said simply as she sat herself down gently by the roots of the great tree. Draco sat himself down behind her, spreading his legs out so that Ginny could sit between them. Snuggling closer to her boyfriend, Ginny let more tears fall as he placed an arm around her waist and held her protectively.  
  
"I don't think I'll ever be able to get up from here." Draco commented after a few minutes of peaceful silence.  
  
"Then don't." Ginny said simply.  
  
"You know as well as I do that I have to."  
  
"Why can't Dumbledore go, he's more powerful than all three of you."  
  
"The prophecy Gin." Draco said wearily, hating it now more than he thought it possible to hate anything.  
  
"Screw the prophecy!" Ginny yelled out, a fresh wave of tears overcoming her.  
  
"But what if it's right Gin? What if I have the chance, along with Harry and Lara, to save everyone from Him?" The girl in his arms chose not to reply, instead snuggling closer to her boyfriend, as if afraid he might suddenly dissapear.  
  
"Just be careful will you?"  
  
"I have you to come back to. Of course I'll be careful."  
  
**************  
  
"Why did we finish so early today? I would've thought you'd use these last hours to train like crazy." Harry said as he sat curled up in the couch, immersed in a book of hexes and defenses.  
  
"Well it was partly because of what I said to you before, we need to preserve our energy. But I also wanted to give Draco a bit of time with Ginny before he goes."  
  
"We're coming back you know." Harry said, looking up from his book.  
  
"I know we are. But just... just in case." Lara said, wincing at the finality of those words.  
  
"Well what about us? Don't we get to spend the afternoon with our loved ones?" Harry asked.  
  
"Of course we do. I've invited everyone over to our dorm tonight."  
  
"Who's everyone?"  
  
"Draco, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and I asked Dad but he's off on ministry business. Said he'd drop by for a few minutes though."  
  
"Yeah I know, I sent him a letter."  
  
"Same."  
  
"We don't need to do all this. We're coming back." Harry said.  
  
"But if....if we don't, then I want to make sure. I want to make sure everyone I love knows it." Harry nodded in understanding, a comfortable silence settling over them.  
  
The silence was shattered a few minutes later by a loud pop and the sudden appearance of Sirius in the middle of the fire.  
  
"Hello." He said cheerfully, stepping out of the fire and brushing off his cloak.  
  
"Floo Powder?" Lara asked questioningly as her father swept her up in a massive hug, spinning her around the room before depositing her gently back on the ground.  
  
"Yep, Dumbledore told me your address. Mind you it wasn't easy, I've come all the way from Nigeria."  
  
"What on earth were you doing in Nigeria?" Harry asked, rising from his seat and embracing his Godfather in a manly hug.  
  
"Ministry business." Sirius said simply, obviously indicating he couldn't say anything else on the matter.  
  
"So you're cleared now?" Lara asked hopefully.  
  
"Completely. Which means when this is all over, we'll hire a flat in london. All three of us." Sirius said, bouncing happily on the soles of his feet.  
  
"What?" Harry asked, the proposal obviously news to him.  
  
"Sorry I didn't tell you Harry." Lara said sheepishly. "But at the time I didn't like you, and the idea wasn't particularly appealing."  
  
"She was trying to convince me to rethink the idea." Sirius said. Lara glared at her father. Harry, however, was glaring at Lara.  
  
"You really are rotten."  
  
"Oh please, as if you wouldn't have done the same if our roles were reversed." Harry stayed silent at this, obviously thinking what he *would* have done in that situation. His continued silence made it obvious Lara's comment was right. "Thought so." She said, grinning.  
  
"Well." Sirius said, clapping his hand's together. "I'm glad you two are finally getting along."  
  
"Mind you it took a while." Harry said as he collapsed back onto the couch. Sirius sat next to him, and Lara plopped herself down on her father's lap.  
  
"You're getting to old for this." He said, holding her close in an affectionate hug.  
  
"I'll never be too old for this." She replied huffily. Sirius chuckled at his daughter but didn't dwell on her comment.  
  
"So I've heard about what you're doing tomorrow. It's why you asked me to visit isn't it?"  
  
"Of course it is."  
  
"You're coming back guys."  
  
"That's what I keep saying." Harry said, giving Lara a pointed look.  
  
"But what if we don't?" Lara said softly, sighing deeply.  
  
"You will. Mind you I'm still not liking this."  
  
"Like we are." Harry said grumpily as he scooted across the couch, giving room for Lara to get off her fathers lap and sit on the other side of him, putting Sirius in the middle.  
  
"I fought Dumbledore on it. It's ridiculous what he's making you do, all because of some stupid prophecy."  
  
"Well what if it's right?"  
  
"I know I know, you could save the world. But it's just a bunch of words. And he's risking two of the best kids in the world because of it."  
  
"Three." Lara corrected.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Draco's coming too."  
  
"The Malfoy Kid? You trust him?"  
  
"She does." Harry said.  
  
"Of course I do. He's risking his life as well."  
  
"Good riddance to bad rubbish." Sirius said shrewdly.  
  
"Dad! He's not like that!" Lara cried, defending her ex-boyfriend and current friend.  
  
"Oh yeah, I forgot you dated him for a while didn't you?"  
  
"Yes, I did."  
  
"Okay okay, if you say he's trustworthy than I believe you." Sirius said, holding his hands up in mock surrender.  
  
"Good."  
  
"So have the two boys completed all their training?" He asked Lara.  
  
"All of it. I made sure."  
  
"Do you think your power's combined will be enough to bring him down?"  
  
"I'd like to think so, but I really don't know. The power coming off Him once he'd extracted the demon's power, it was incredible. I've never felt anything like it." Lara said, shuddering at the thought.  
  
"Yeah, it was an ingenious plan. It's been attempted before, but I don't think anyone's actually pulled it off." Sirius said thoughtfully.  
  
"Why?" Harry asked.  
  
"They could never kill the demon."  
  
"But I did." Lara growled, cursing herself for her stupidity.  
  
"Don't kick yourself up over it, there's no way you could've known."  
  
"But I should've realized what he was doing, I could've stopped the full transfer of power."  
  
"It's done now. Don't dwell on it. Just focus on tomorrow and getting yourselves back home in one piece." Lara nodded as she leaned against her father, hugging him tightly. Harry repeated the action on his Godfather's other side.  
  
"You two can be the most mature teenagers I've ever met, but sometimes you act just like two years old." Sirius said, smiling slightly as he put his arms around his daughter and godson.  
  
"That's the beauty of this age. You can be either." Lara said, grinning into her father's chest. She felt rather than heard Harry chuckle from Sirius' other side.  
  
**************************************************************  
  
"How long are you staying?" Harry asked after a few minutes of silence.  
  
"I have to go soon. Acutally..." Sirius said, removing his arm from around Lara and checking his watch. "I have to go now." Groans from the two teenagers in his arms suggested that they didn't want him to leave.  
  
"Don't go." Lara whined, holding on tightly to her father.  
  
"I have to sweetheart." He said softly. "The other aurors are expecting me."  
  
"So you're officialy an auror now?" Harry asked, reluctantly letting go of his godfather as Sirius made to stand up.  
  
"Yep, I finished my training just after I was cleared and I'm now one of the top aurors in the ministry." He said, rising from the chair and making his way over to the fire place.  
  
"Goodbye." Lara said softly, getting up from the couch and joining her father by the fireplace.  
  
"Goodbye hunny." Her father said softly, embracing her. Harry got up and joined his godfather next to the fire place, also receiving a warm embrace.  
  
"Goodbye Harry." Sirius said, smiling at the two teenagers before reaching inside his pocket and sprinkling it's contents over the fire.  
  
"I will see the both of you very soon. Good luck." He said as he stepped into the now green fire and yelled out his destination. In a huge whoosh the fire rose up to meet him, engulfing his body. Seconds later, Sirius was gone.  
  
And it was then that the whole situation just got too much for Lara. Her body, which had suffered a lot of strain over the past weeks, finally gave way and she collapsed onto the floor. The tears she had been holding back finally gave way, until they were streaming in torrents down her face.  
  
"I can't do this." She cried out between sobs.  
  
"Yes, you can. And you will." Harry said, reaching down and picking Lara up. Struggling, he carried her across to the couch before dropping her rather ungracefully on it.  
  
"Oh Harry!" She cried out, reaching out and hugging him tightly.  
  
"Y....yes?" Harry gasped, his air supply cut off by Lara's iron hold.  
  
"Oh, sorry." She sniffed, letting go.  
  
"It's alright." Harry said, massaging his neck slightly. "Now listen to me. Whatever happens tomorrow, I'm with you to the end. And I'm pretty sure Malfoy is too."  
  
"If something happens to me, I want you to get the hell out of there." Lara said said, her sobbing halting breifly as she stared at Harry determindly.  
  
"I can't give you a promise I don't intend to keep." Harry said softly, before getting up from the couch and making his way to his room.  
  
Suddenly, the door burst open, halting Harry's path to his room.  
  
"We're here!" Draco yelled in a sing song voice, entering the common room with one arm around Ginny. Hermione and Ron followed seconds later, his arm also around her.  
  
"Looks like something out of Days of Our Lives doesn't it?" Harry said, grinning. Lara laughed, familiar with muggle terms after having spent the first years of her life in an orphanage.  
  
"Shut up." Hermione said huffily, although not moving away from Ron's embrace. The others simply looked confused at the comment, obviously not understanding the muggle term.  
  
"So who's got the booze?" Draco said cheekily as he sat down on one of the smaller couches, Ginny making herself comfortable on his lap.  
  
"Har har." Hermione said sarcastically as she took the other couch, Ron sitting on the floor by her legs. Her hands intinctively went to his hair, enjoying the feel of it's smooth texture.  
  
Harry headed back towards the couch, postponing his intended visit to his room. He sat on one edge as Lara stretched out, putting her head in his lap (much like he had done to her not long ago.) Harry then began to stroke Lara's brown curls, watching them spring back as he pulled lightly at them.  
  
At this gesture, Draco and Hermione snickered, knowing the real reason behind it. Lara gave them both a pointed glare but decided not to dwell on it.  
  
"So, I don't know about you but I don't feel like talking about Voldemort, death, battles or anything remotely sinister. How about we talk about Quidditch?" Harry said, smiling. The girls groaned at this.  
  
"Please no." Hermione said painfully. Lara laughed at Harry's attempts at lightening the situation, not ignoring the fact that is was working.  
  
"How about we talk about... the Yule Ball?" Ginny said, getting another groan out of the boys.  
  
"No seriously..." Harry said. "Who is everyone taking?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious Potter?" Draco asked, motioning to the red head in his lap and then over at Hermione and Ron.  
  
"Just checking." The dark haired Gryffindor said. "For all I know you could've asked someone else."  
  
"Sometimes you're too thick for your own good Potter." The blonde retorted. Harry was about to open his mouth and retaliate when a pinch from Lara shut him up.  
  
"Fine." He said huffily as he began to trace the lines of Lara's face.  
  
"So who are you guys taking?" Hermione asked, grinning.  
  
"Each other." Lara said simply.  
  
"As friends." Harry added.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Oh I see." Draco said, snickering. It was at this point in which Ron finally cottoned on to exactly what Draco and Hermione were snickering about.  
  
"Oh! I get it. You guys are laughing cause Harry's..." Hermione clamped her hand around her boyfriends mouth, shutting him up instantly.  
  
"Sometimes Ron, you're really tactless." She said. The orange haired boy flushed a brilliant red as Hermione removed her hand. Lara was all but ready to get up and murder the couple on the couch, each (in her opinion) being as tactless as the other.  
  
"Anways!" Lara yelled loudly, turning the conversation around quickly before it got out of hand. "Have you guys had dinner yet?" She asked.  
  
"No." Ron replied. "Which reminds me, I'm starving. When's you're dinner going to get here?" He demanded.  
  
"Soon."  
  
"How soon?" The red head whined. At that moment, his plea was answered by the sudden appearance of food on the table in the centre of the couches.  
  
"That soon."  
  
**********************  
  
"Are we staying the night here?" Hermione asked suddenly, after several hours of eating and chatting.  
  
"Well you have to now, considering it's past curfew." Lara pointed out.  
  
"Thought so, just checking." The bushy haired girl replied, living up to her fear of breaking school rules.  
  
"Well we'd better be getting to be anyways."  
  
"Who's we?" Draco asked shrewdly.  
  
"You, me, Harry." Lara said simply. "I trust I don't need to tell you why."  
  
"Fine. Where am I sleeping?"  
  
"Anywhere you want. Just tell me and I'll magic up a bed."  
  
"Can I sleep with Gin?" He asked enthusiatically, eyes lighting up. The red head next to him slapped him playfully on the arm.  
  
"Sure you can, since Dumbledore placed a spell over the rooms to detect any sexual activity."  
  
"That's an interesting spell, I wonder how you do that?" Hermione asked curiously, ignoring Draco's crest fallen face at this news and Ginnys sigh of relief.  
  
"So, where are the happy couples sleeping?" Lara said brightly.  
  
"The study's back there isn't it?" Draco asked, knowing the layout of the rooms due to prior visits.  
  
"Yeah, you want me to turn it into a bed room?" Draco nodded as Lara headed across the common room the to the study. Standing at the doorway, she made a few gestures with her hand before returning to the couches.  
  
"That was quick." Ginny said, obviously impressed.  
  
"And Hermione, Ron?"  
  
"Just turn the couch into a bed, it'll do." Hermione said, watching with fascination as the couch stretched out into a double bed after a few gestures from Lara.  
  
"How do you do that?" She asked.  
  
"When I come back, I'll teach you."  
  
"You mean I can do all that wandless stuff too?"  
  
"It's energy magic, what I've been teaching the boys." Lara said simply. Hermione face lit up at this, her sponge-like brain always eager to soak up a bit more information or one more skill.  
  
"So yeah, goodnight I suppose." Lara said, suddenly feeling akwardly. After the lighthearted nature of this gathering, the real reason behind it suddenly came crashing down on her heart.  
  
"We'll see you when we get back." Harry said, not entirely supressing the slight croak in his voice.  
  
"What do you mean? We'll see you tomorrow before you leave!" Hermione said worriedly.  
  
"Er....no you won't. We're leaving early."  
  
"Then wake us up." Ginny said determindly.  
  
"I'm...I'm sorry but we can't. I think I speak for all of us when I say we'd rather leave the farewells to tonight. I don't need another reason for me to stay tomorrow." Lara said softly. "And besides." She said, trying to sound cheerful. "It's not goodbye forever. It's just for now."  
  
Suddenly, the atmosphere of the common room became oppresive. No one wanted to move, no one wanted to bring tomorrow any closer.  
  
"I wish we could stay like this." Ginny said softly. "Just like this, forever and ever. And at times like this I wish there was no evil, only goodness and kindness. But then I remind myself that without suffering, there can be no compassion. Love and happiness are made all the more sweeter by the bitter taste of pain and death that can surround them." Ginny paused, tears streaming down her face. "And when it comes down to it," she continued, her voice hoarse with emtion, "I don't think I'd have it any other way."  
  
Later that night, when they had all said their goodbyes and gone to their beds, her words could still be heard echoing around in their minds. It was not something they could easily forget, nor something they wanted to. 


	21. A trail and a trap

CHAPTER TWENTY  
  
"Have you got the invisibility cloaks?" Harry whispered.  
  
"Yeah." "As well as the one Dumbledore leant for Malfoy?"  
  
"Yes, have you got your wand?"  
  
"Yeah, but I won't need it."  
  
"Just in case...." Lara said warningly.  
  
"Where's Malfoy?"  
  
"He's waiting outside."  
  
"Has he said goodbye to Ginny already?"  
  
"Last night, yeah, but she's still sleeping now. He didn't want to wake her."  
  
"I wouldn't either." Harry said softly as the crept out of the common room, being careful not to wake the sleeping forms of Hermione and Ron.  
  
"What took you guys so long?" Draco asked.  
  
"We didn't want to forget anything?"  
  
"What is there to bring?"  
  
"Cloaks, wands...have you gots yours by the way?"  
  
"Wand? Yeah, it's in my pocket."  
  
"Good." Lara said softly as she closed the door, heading along the corridor.  
  
"What time is it?" Harry asked.  
  
"Almost six, the sun's just rising."  
  
"And where did Dumbledore say the Portkey was this time?" Draco asked from the other side of Lara.  
  
"Same place."  
  
"Is it going to the same place as last time?" Harry asked again.  
  
"No, we're actually going to appear in that abandoned classroom we stopped in last time."  
  
"Why didn't we do that last time?"  
  
"Because we didn't know what to expect did we?" Lara said impatiently as she led the boys along another corridor and into McGonagalls office. The hour glass was sitting on her desk, in the same position as last time.  
  
"So are we ready?" Lara said, approaching the hour glass as she slipped the cloak over her shoulders, dissapearing. Harry and Draco followed her lead, slipping the cloaks over their shoulders. At the same time, they reached out and touched the portkey, feeling the familiar pull behind their navels followed by a whooshing sound as the world spun around them.  
  
Suddenly, the twirling stopped, and they felt their feet once again slam into the ground. This time, however, it was not the black tar of road but the soft tiles of the courtroom they had stopped in last time, still (Lara noted with relief) as empty as they had left it.  
  
"So do we have a plan this time?" Harry asked softly as Lara deposited the hour glass under the chair and out of sight.  
  
"Voldemorts expecting us, but I'm not sure what he's going to do. Even if we could plan, what would we do? He can see through our cloaks..."  
  
"He can?"  
  
"Karadyrn had the power, I'm guessing that particular ability was transferred across as well."  
  
"Cool." Draco said, voicing his agreement rather than nodding due to his invisibility.  
  
"Okay, so we walk along the corridor in the cloaks, find the one Voldemort's in and confront him."  
  
"Something like that." Lara said.  
  
"Okay, let's go before I throw up." The blonde said, fighting the queaziness in his stomach. The trio quietly exited the room, entering the corridor to find it absolutely deserted.  
  
"Somehow, I can't imagine this being a good thing." Harry said, eyeing the deserted pathway.  
  
"Of course it is, easy access to Voldemort." Draco said breezily.  
  
"But that's just it, if his minions aren't here, what makes you think he is?" A thoughtful silence descended on the trio as they made their way to the common room in which they had last seen Voldemort. Upon opening the door, they found it to be, as predicted, absolutely empty.  
  
"What do we do no?" The blonde whined.  
  
"Wait... there... on the table."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"A letter. I had a feeling He'd leave behind something like this, he was expecting us. He wouldn't just leave without directing us to him." Lara said, making her way to one of the tables spread throughout the room and picking up an envelope.  
  
"Why would he WANT us to come to him?" Draco said, making his way to Lara so he too could read the letter.  
  
"Because He believes He can kill us." Lara said simply. Harry's face drained of colour, and Draco's went (if it's possible) even paler.  
  
"But why does He want to kill us?" Harry said weakly as Lara began to rip at the envelopes seal.  
  
"We're Voldemort's biggest threat, He won't rest easy until we're dead."  
  
"That's encouraging." Draco said sarcastically as Lara unfolded the now emancipated letter. Clearing her throat, she began to read.  
  
"Potter, Black and Malfoy  
  
If you're reading this, you've done no less than what I expected. I knew you'd be back. And I know that Miss Black has undoubtedly trained you to fight me. Not that it's going to be enough to bring me down, but congratulations on the effort nonetheless.  
  
So, I suppose you are wondering where to find me? Just follow the light....  
  
I am greatly looking forward to our next meeting  
  
Lord Voldemort."  
  
"What doe she mean? Follow the light?" Harry whined. But no sooner had he said this when the letter dropped to the floor, bursting into flame and shrivelling up. In it's place was a small white light hanging a few centimetres from the ground.  
  
"Well I suppose we'd better follow it then."  
  
"What? Are you insane? This is just screaming trap!" Draco said hysterically.  
  
"Well do you have a better idea?" Lara said impatiently, annoyed at the sudden turn of events.  
  
"No...but...."  
  
"But what?"  
  
"Fine, we'll follow the bloody light." The Slytherin said huffily, crossing his arms in impatience.  
  
"Good." Was the simple reply as Lara took a step forward. As soon as she did, the light began to move forward, leaving a bright white line in it's trail. The light continued to move forward, heading out the door and turning right down the corridor.  
  
"Hurry up, we have to keep up with it!" Lara cried with urgency, running after the light to try and catch up with it.  
  
"It's leaving the trail behind, why do we need to keep up with it?" Harry asked, panting, as he ran to join her.  
  
"Look behind you." Lara replied. Harry obliged, and saw that the white trail was gradually dissappearing at it's tail. If they fell to far behind, they would lose their guide. Sighing, Harry continued to trot behind the light as Draco caught up with them.  
  
The light continued it's path through the minstry, guiding them towards the lifts and getting off at the deserted Atrium. They hurried across the marble floor towards the lift, getting on it and rising to ground level.  
  
The trail wove through the streets of London, the image of a floating white getting a few stares from watching Muggles.  
  
"No sense of muggle security at all." Lara muttered, ignoring the onlookers and keeping her eyes fixed on the light.  
  
It led them to a nearby station, directing them onto a train that was departing. The door closed just as Draco jumped on, narrowly missing the heel of his foot.  
  
"We don't have tickets!" Harry said worriedly. "We'll get stuck at the barrier."  
  
"A quick spell will get us through."  
  
"But what if we get caught?"  
  
"We're invisible Harry!" Lara said impatiently, the ticket barrier being the least of her worries. She stamped her foot in impatience as the light halted at the door, waiting for the train to stop at it's desired spot.  
  
"What is it?" Draco asked, noticing the gesture.  
  
"This is not how I was imagining this to go! He's playing us for the fool. He's made sure He has the upper hand, and I don't like it."  
  
"Don't worry, we'll play along with His little game for now. Don't let it rattle you." Harry said, trying to soothe the impatient girl.  
  
**************  
  
They stayed on the train for several hours, eyeing the light at every station to see if it suddenly decided to jump of the train and leave them stranded. A guard had come round several times, but because of their invisibility he had not asked for their tickets.  
  
It was not until they were deep into the English country side that the light finally decided to disembark at Moonsbury. The run-down station could've been called abandoned if it wasn't for the lone ticket master, sitting at his booth and looking bored out of his brains.  
  
Hopping of the train, the trio followed the light as it left that station and headed along a lone dirt track, fenced in by by grazing lands filled with cattle. With the horizon now in view, they could see farms and ranches in the distance, connected to the track by branching paths.  
  
"Where are we?" Harry whined as the dark sky began to rumble, indicating an oncoming storm. The trio groaned as a few minutes later heavy rain started to pour, soaking through their clothes and chilling their bones.  
  
"I don't know." Lara said, squinting through the downpour at the vague ball of light still a few metres in front of them. As the rain got heavier, the light began to fade, forcing the trio to rely more on it's trail then on the light itself.  
  
"I'm beginning to think that Voldemort just leading us nowhere. This seems very fishy if you ask me."  
  
Suddenly, the light took a sharp turn left, heading along a smaller path. After a few minutes the path began to slope upwards, obviously climbing a hill of sorts. Once the ground began to level out again, a flash of lightening illuminated the hill and the lone ranch that crowned it.  
  
"You're trying to tell me that the most powerful Dark Lord in history is hiding out in THAT hole of a house?"  
  
"Apparently." Lara said drily as she continued her trek across the crown of the hill towards the house. The light, now barely visible, stopped at the door of the house.  
  
Lara slowly ascended the front steps of the ranch which connected to the front porch. Reaching the door, she raised her hands and knocked determindly on the run down wooden door. However her knock, which had not been particularly forceful, only managed to punch a hole through the rotten wood.  
  
"There's something not quite right about this..." Lara said warningly as, when no answer came from inside the house, she slowly turned the handle of the door and opened it. Inside was a one roomed house, obviously abandoned, with no furniture other than a few crates and broken tables scattered about the rotting floor.  
  
The light entered the house behind Lara, stopping in the centre of the room. Harry and Draco followed it, standing near it.  
  
"What is Voldemort up to... Why would he bother going all the way out here?" Harry whispered, although there was no need to.  
  
"I don't know." Draco whispered back, disliking the tense and oppresive atmosphere of the room.  
  
"He's... he's harnessing his army." Lara croaked from her position by the window. Harry and Draco, noticing the horrified tone in her voice, stepped towards the glassless window, looking out on the fields below. They saw that the hill began to slope down behind the house, and eventually levelled out into several acres of open grassland, stretching for as far as the eye could see.  
  
But that's not what made the trio gasp in horror. That's not what sent Lara weak at the knees. The cause of that was the millions of dark creatures that inhabited the fields below them, the vampires and banshees and demons so great in number that they almost obscured the grass in which they stood on from view.  
  
"At least now we know what He's doing out here." Draco said weakly, his breathing suddenly becoming very shallow as he thought of the horrors this army could wreck upon the world.  
  
"But where is He?" Lara asked to no one in particular.  
  
"I can answer that one." A voice said from behind them. The three students turned away from the window, locking their eyes upon Voldemort standing at the doorway, looking every inch the part of evil Overlord in long black robes.  
  
"Voldemort." Lara spat.  
  
"We meet again." He said, walking forward slightly. "I trust the journey was not too uncomfortable?"  
  
"Why did you bring us out here?" Harry asked, stepping out of the shadows and into the light of the floating guide, taking off his cloak in the process. Lara and Draco followed suite, dumping the cloaks in a corner of the room.  
  
"Well firstly, I wanted you to see what I'm going to unleash upon the world before you die. Secondly, I'm conducting my operations from here now, having extracted all I could from the Ministry. And I didn't feel much like returning there, so I brought you here instead." Voldemort said in a sickeningly cheery voice.  
  
"Well now that you've succeeded in dragging us halfway across the country to see your little legion of moronic creatures from hell and beyond, can we please get this over and done with?" Lara said, her voice dripping with disdain.  
  
"Now now, aren't we eager to die?"  
  
"Not eager to die my satanic friend, just eager to fight." Draco said determindly.  
  
"I see no difference." Voldemort replied. Lara had, by this point, reached the limits of her tolerance.  
  
"ENOUGH!" She yelled. Holding out her hand, she walked forward, intent on throwing the first curse at Voldemort. No one was more shocked than she was when all of a sudden, the floor gave way below her and she dissappeared beneath the rotting wood.  
  
"Lara!" Draco and Harry yelled in unison, running towards the edge of the hole Lara hd fallen into. Peering down, they saw she was in a hole about 6 metres deep, the floating ball of light only just illuminating her features. Suddenly, a metal grate slide out from beneath the floorboards, trapping Lara in the hole.  
  
"What happened?" Harry asked, panicking.  
  
"It's a trap, He planned this." She yelled from within the hole.  
  
"Of course I did." Voldemort snapped, walking towards the other edge of the hole and peering down. "I'm not stupid enough to try and confront you, especially flanked by your little sidekicks."  
  
"You are frightened of me because you know I can kill you."  
  
"Not alone, but with your two little cronies you have a small hope, large enough for me not to consider risking it." Lara narrowed her eyes at the towering figure above her before throwing a curse at the metal grate. However the grate merely sizzled upon contact before absorbing the power of the curse.  
  
"Damn." Lara muttered.  
  
"Yes... you are in a sticky situation aren't you? You see this metal grate is charmed with a spell that absorbs any magic thrown at it. An obstacle which even the great Larrissa Black cannot overcome." Voldemort said gloatingly. Harry and Draco immediately stood up, holding their hands up in preparation for an attack.  
  
"Boys, boys. This house is no place to conduct a duel. How about a place a little more... open?" Voldemort said, grinning as He clicked His fingers.  
  
Suddenly, the boys found themselves in an open grass field, the rain having stopped temporarily and the clouds beginning to break in the pink sky overhead. In the distance behind them, they saw the hill that they had just climbed up, and crowning it, the run down house they had occupied seconds earlier.  
  
"Better." Voldemort said simply before raising his hand and throwing a jet of green light from his fingers. Both boys, too shocked to bring up a shield, dodged the curse. Almost immediately, Harry threw his own curse at the Dark Lord. However a quick flick of his wrist redirected the jet away from him.  
  
As he was doing this, Draco threw another curse at the figure, barely visible in the fading light. However the jet of purple light stopped in mid air centimetres from Voldemort, obviously having hit a shield of source.  
  
"I see you've discovered my permanent shield. It does come in handy." Voldemort said, grinning like a maniac as he threw another curse at Harry. The dark haired boy threw up a shield easily, reflecting the curse.  
  
"Malfoy!" The Gryffindor yelled as he threw another curse at Voldemort to keep him occupied.  
  
"Yeah?" Draco said, stepping closer to Harry so they could confer without Voldemort listening.  
  
"That shield. It's stealing from his energy. We have to put as much strain on it as possible." He whispered quickly as Draco dodged a curse and threw another back at Voldemort.  
  
"But that would require us using our energy magic, we'd run out too." Draco whispered fervently, recooperating from the near miss.  
  
"Why don't we try normal wand magic? I think it would weaken the shield in the same way." Harry said, spinning away as a curse sped by between them.  
  
"Okay." Draco replied, walking a few steps away from Harry so they would be less of an easy target.  
  
"Finished out chit chat have we?" Voldemort said, grinning.  
  
"Catching up on Hogwarts gossip, you know." Harry said casually, refusing to let Voldemort's mind games rattle him as he reached inside his robes, taking out his wand. A small movement out of the corner of his eye suggested Draco was doing much of the same thing.  
  
"NOW!" Harry yelled, and simulataneously the two boys pulled out their wands. 


	22. Escape and caputre

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE  
  
Lara stared up at the metal grate, an icy fear gripping her heart as she thought of Harry and Draco fighting Voldemort. She knew they could handle themselves, but she feared the extent of His power.  
  
"I have to get out of here." She muttered, inspecting the grate from her position metres below it. Suddenly, her eye noticed the sides of the hole, made of a soft dirt.  
  
*Maybe if I throw the curse around the edges of the grate, where the dirt is...* She thought to herself, raising her hand and aiming a jet of light on the rim of the grate. The curse hit the soil and immediately blasted away half the soil, leaving a small hole towards one side of the grating.  
  
*He seriously underestimates my intelligence* Lara though happily as she levitated herself towards the hole, using her hands to make the hole slightly bigger before slipping through.  
  
*Now that I'm out, where's Harry and Draco?* She thought, looking around the room as if hoping to find some clues as to their whereabouts. Looking towards the door, she saw the dark night sky outside suddenly illuminate. Walking out onto the front porch, she saw three figures on the field below, only illuminated by the brief flashes of different coloured lights that occasionally surrounded them.  
  
Descending the steps, she began her sprint across the field, trying to determine who each of the figures were and thus who had the upper hand.  
  
When she was metres away from them, she began to differentiate between the figures. Harry and Draco each had their wands out (something which she found quite strange) and were hurling random curses at Voldemort. What she found even stranger was that the curses seemed to keep hitting an invisible barrier, even though Voldemort was not raising his hand to create defense spells.  
  
Running the last few metres, she reached Draco. Voldemort, already preoccupied with the onslaught of curses, stumbled back a few metres at the sight of Lara.  
  
"You're supposed to be in the... in the cage..."  
  
"*Supposed to be* are the key words there." Lara said drily, before turning to Draco.  
  
"What's happening?"  
  
"Voldemort....IMMOMBILARUS... he's got some sort of...EXPELLIARMUS... permanent barrier." Draco said between hexes. "It's stealing from his life source... PETRIFICUS TOTALUS.... obviously, since you said demons don't have normal magic."  
  
"So you're trying to break the barrier with these curses?" Lara asked, jumping aside as Voldemort managed to aim a curse at her.  
  
"Yeah... OBLIVIATE... Will it work?" Draco asked.  
  
"Sounds plausible, but something's wrong here... how can His curses go through the barrier?"  
  
"I don't know, probably an advanced spell... PESKIPIKSI PESTERNOMI!" Draco yelled, dodging another curse. Lara shrugged, pulling out her own wand and commencing to fire curses at Voldemort.  
  
"RIDDIKULUS!" Harry yelled, the jet of red light shooting out of his wand and hitting the shield. The sound of splintering glass filled the air, making it immediately obvious that the barrier had broken.  
  
"Seems like your little barrier didn't work too well did it?" Lara said smugly, stepping forward.  
  
"So you got past my barrier. That is but a small victory. You have yet to defeat me." Voldemort said, crumpling to the ground after the effort of holding up his shield.  
  
"I don't see how that will be hard, especially when considering your shield drained you of most of your energy." Lara said, smiling sweetly. Voldemort's face paled slightly, already a deathly white because of the moons sickly glow. The sky had cleared from the earlier storm, and it was now a deep blue strewn with glittering stars, the sun having set several minutes ago.  
  
"I am still powerful." Voldemort warned, although not very convincingly.  
  
"As long as you believe that." Lara said, stepping forward and placing a well aimed kick at his stomach. Voldemort groaned, curling up in pain.  
  
"You think that hurts do you? Well what about losing someone you love? How much more do you think that will hurt? Oh, but I forgot. You don't love anyone! You're just an empty shell, no heart, no compassion, just a walking slice of evil and power!" Lara yelled, tears streaming down her face as she vented out 15 years of frustration on the man who killed her mother.  
  
"Lara, stop!" Harry yelled. But it was too late, suddenly, Voldemort reached out and took hold of Lara's foot, pulling it out from under her. She landed with a thump in the ground. Draco and Harry stepped forward quickly, intent on pulling her out of Voldemort grasp. But no sooner did they reach out to grab her when she disappeared, along with Voldemort, with a sickening crack.  
  
"Crap." Harry whispered into the night.  
  
*****************  
  
"Let me GO you BASTARD!" Lara yelled, rattling the bars of her cage with all her might. But it was no use.  
  
"Now now, that's no way to speak to the man who has your life in the palm of his hand." Voldemort said through the bars of the cell. Lara narrowed her eyes in anger but did not reply.  
  
She had been in the cell for several hours, although from her view through the tent flap she could see it was still night time. Voldemort has apparated them to a large comfortable tent at the edge of the field housing his army.  
  
Immediately, guards had rushed forward and bound Lara's arms, rendering her wand magic useless. Before she could even think of using energy magic, they had thrown her into a cell in the corner of the tent, where she quickly discovered that it's bars were bewitched with the same spell as the metal grating on the hole back in the ranch.  
  
Now, although she could use her energy magic to untie her bindings, she could not use it to break free of the cage.  
  
Bottom line, she was trapped.  
  
"I must admit though Lara, I did not expect you to escape from my little trap back at the farm. I under estimated you, something which I will make sure doesn't happen again."  
  
"And what about Harry and Draco, and the shield? Did you plan that too?" Lara said visciously.  
  
"No, that also went slightly wrong. I did not know that normal spells would drain my barrier, so for a time there I actually thought I'd lose. Preposterus notion... of course. So when you came towards me, unleashing you anger, I found another way to achieve my ends."  
  
"And what, exactly, did you want out of all this."  
  
"You. Or more specifically, your power."  
  
"You want to suck my energy dry just like you did to that demon."  
  
"That's the general idea."  
  
"Don't I have to be dead?"  
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact, you do." Voldemort said, smiling wickedly.  
  
"So why aren't I dead yet?"  
  
"Potter and Malfoy." Voldemort said these names with disdain. "I was meant to kill them both, annoying little brats. I under estimated them too. I need to kill them before I kill you."  
  
"Why do you need me alive?"  
  
"As bait of course. They won't come if they know it's a lost cause."  
  
"They won't come at all."  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure. Especially since I sent one of my guards men to lead them here."  
  
"They won't fall for a such a stupid trick." Lara sneered.  
  
"Lara!" A voice called out from the door of the tent. Lara looked over at the door and groaned when she saw Harry standing there.  
  
"I think you under estimated their stupidity Miss Black." Voldemort whispered to her, before rounding on the dark haired boy. "Hello again." He said happily.  
  
"Let her go!" Harry said threateningly.  
  
"Or what? You'll poke me with your wand?" Voldemort sneered.  
  
"Let her go or I will kill you." He said evenly.  
  
"If you want her, come and get her........." Voldemort said softly. The oppresive and dangerous atmosphere was suddenly shattered by the arrival of a Vampire.  
  
"Master, there's trouble in the ranks!" He cried, panting. He had obviously run a long way.  
  
"I'm busy now." Voldemort said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Master, it's the werewolves and banshees, their fighting each other. It's getting out of hand." Voldemort stamped his foot down in impatience.  
  
"Very WELL!" He said, flicking his wrist slightly so that a cell suddenly shot up around Harry. Another quick wrist flick later and it was obvious that the bars had been bewitched with the same spell as Lara's. "I will return to continue this happy reunion shortly." The Dark Lord said before sweeping out of the tent, his dark robes billowing out behind him dramatically.  
  
"Where's Draco?" Lara hissed once he had gone.  
  
"Gone to get help." Harry replied.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm not exactly going to let you die am I?"  
  
"No, you have to kill yourself as well don't you?"  
  
"I am going to get you out of here." Harry said evenly.  
  
"OH YEAH?" Lara yelled. "AND HOW DO YOU PROPOSE TO DO THAT WHEN YOU'RE LOCKED IN A CELL? HUH?"  
  
"Calm down Lara." Harry said warningly, eyeing the doorway frantically for fear that her rantings had caught someone (or something's) attention.  
  
"CALM? CALM? YOU ARE ASKING ME TO BE CALM?"  
  
"Yes. Now relax." He said calmly.  
  
"Alright..." Lara said, taking a deep breath. Suddenly, an idea crossed her mind. "I have an idea." She said softly.  
  
"You do?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yes. You can't break those bars on your own right? ?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well what if I gave you some of my energy?" Lara offered. Harry raised his eyebrows.  
  
"And then I'd break free, find Voldemort and kill him."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Why can't you do it?"  
  
"Because the prophecy says you must kill him, so you must kill him." Lara said simply.  
  
"Fine." He said. Lara nodded, taking a deep breath. Slowly, she concentrated on feeding her energy through her body and across the air to Harry's. On the other side of the tent, Harry felt his fingertips tingle as the energy reached them and began to race up his arm into his heart, joining his original store of energy.  
  
"Done?" Lara asked softly.  
  
"Yeah." Harry replied, suddenly feeling different. He felt alive, more alive than he had ever felt in his life. He could feel his blood, surging through his veins, he could feel his heart beating in his chest, and all of it seemed to tingle with an unspoken energy.  
  
"Did it work?" Lara asked. However her question was answered by a sudden explosion, the force which knocked Lara back against the walls of her cage and which would've ripped the tent from it's foundations if it hadn't been kept in place by magic.  
  
Once she had recooperated from the shock, the brown haired girl looked over and saw Harry standing in a pile of bent metal bars (obviously the remains of his cage) and looking very powerful indeed.  
  
He walked toward her cage, leaning down beside her.  
  
"What are you doing? Go find Voldemort!" Lara hissed.  
  
"I'm getting you out first." Harry said calmly.  
  
"NO YOU AREN'T!"  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"YOU'LL USE UP ALL YOU'RE ENERGY!" Lara yelled.  
  
"SO WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO? HUH? JUST LEAVE YOU HERE TO DIE?" Harry shouted back.  
  
"AS OPPOSED TO USING ALL YOUR ENERGY TO FREE ME AND THEN DISCOVERING YOU'RE TOO WEAK TO FIGHT VOLDEMORT?"  
  
"I won't be." Harry said determindly.  
  
"HOW THE HECK DO YOU KNOW?" Lara roared.  
  
"Look Lara, no matter what you say I'm still going to get you out of there." Harry said, standing up and raising his hand in preparation for the spell.  
  
"WHY? WHY ARE YOU RISKING THE SALVATION OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TO SAVE ME?" Lara cried, desperately trying to convince him out of it.  
  
"BECAUSE....BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" He yelled back, a single tear breaking free and streaming down his face.  
  
Lara stared at Harry in shock, her mind still processing the words her heart had longed to hear. A silence fell about them that was so intense they were convinced even their hearts had stopped beating to accommodate it. Lara opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out.  
  
"Don't, whatever you're going to say, just don't say it." Harry said weakly. "I know you don't love me, but I don't think I'll be able to take it if you say it to my face. Now stand back so I can free you."  
  
"I don't think so Mr. Potter." Voldemort said from the doorway, where he had returned from his interruption.  
  
"You." Harry said, his voice emotionless.  
  
"Yes, me. I'm not going to bother asking how the hell you got out of your cage. It's obvious Miss Black here decided to give you some of her magic. Stupid really, since I'm going to kill you anyways." Harry turned towards Voldemort, preparing to fight.  
  
But the truth was he didn't care anymore. He didn't care if he lived or died, he didn't care if good or evil triumphed. All that mattered to him was the girl sitting metres from him. He could still picture her face, the look of absolute shock when he had finally confessed the secret that had been tearing away at his heart for weeks. And the blank look on her face told him all he needed to know.  
  
She didn't love him back.  
  
He vaguely heard Voldemort cry out, and felt rather than saw a jet of light escape his hand and streak towards him. Lazily, he stepped out of the way, the hex grazing him on the shoulder. But even though blood began to pour from the wound and down his arm, he didn't feel it. He couldn't feel anything at all but the uneven beating of his shattered heart.  
  
"Harry...." Lara whispered softly, finally finding her voice. Her mind still failed to accept what she had heard, to possibly consider what he had said was true. It couldn't be, Harry Potter simply could not love Larrissa Black.  
  
But he had said it.  
  
"Harry...." Lara said again.  
  
"What." He said hoarsly, lazily dodging another curse and getting another graze on his thigh.  
  
"You've got to fight." She said desperately. Voldemort stopped throwing his hexes, noticing Harry's slow and deliberate movements. He sensed something was wrong, something had changed during his brief absence from the tent.  
  
"Why? What am I fighting for?" Harry said hoarsly. Gone from his eyes was the spark of determination, that ray of hope. He was now an empty shell, his eyes dark and lifeless.  
  
"You're fighting for goodness, kindness, compassion. But above all you're fighting for love." Lara whispered, her voice shaking.  
  
Harry was trembling by now, the effort to merely stay standing taking it's toll on him. Voldemort had lowered his hands by this stage, relaxing his guard and instead watching the scene before him unfold, trying to understand what had happened.  
  
"Love?" Harry's voice croaked, chocking on the word. "Love? What has love ever done for me? I loved my parents and they were taken from me. I loved my friends and then they found each other! And then...dammit, I loved you." Harry's voice was thick with emotion now, and even the greatest fool alive could now determine what had caused the grief evident in Harry's eyes.  
  
But Voldemort, in all his wisdom, could not see it. Voldemort, who understood suffering and death, did not understand compassion and kindness and love. He could not understand how one emotion could cause such grief and such happiness at the same time.  
  
"Isn't that love worth fighting for?" Lara whispered into the silence that had settled over them.  
  
"WHY DAMN IT? WHY FIGHT FOR A LOVE THAT CAN NEVER BE?" Harry yelled.  
  
"Why can it never be?" Lara asked, remaining calm.  
  
"BECAUSE YOU DON"T LOVE ME BACK!" Harry yelled, and even saying those words brought a whole new wave of pain over his broken heart.  
  
"Says who?" Lara said softly. Harry's heavy breathing suddenly stopped. He turned toward Lara, his whole body shaking. He was acutely aware of everything around him, of every breath of wind coming through the window, of every drop of blood rolling off his shoulder and falling to the floor.  
  
"W....what?" He said, so softly she barely heard it.  
  
"I...I love you too Harry Potter." 


	23. Wakings and longings

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO  
  
Once in a while, a love comes along that's beyond your imagination. It's so incredible, so impossible, it seems like something the movies are made of. You could never imagine it happening to you. And when it does, sometimes you're too blind or too slow or just too amazed by it to seize the chance.  
  
And sometimes you realize it too late.  
  
*********************  
  
"W....what?" He said, so softly she barely heard it.  
  
"I...I love you too Harry Potter." Harry felt as if the ground had fallen from beneath him, and that he was floating, suspended in mid air and kept afloat by the mere echo of those words. Time seemed to stop, the world ceased to spin, and the only thing left in the world was Harry, Lara and that bloody cage that stood between them.  
  
And that's when it started. The power within him, slightly weakened already due to his emancipation from the cage, began to grow. It's light and warmth began to flood his veins and fill his mind with it's awesome power. He felt his fingers tingling with apprehension as walls of power built up behind them. His eyes, previously lifeless, began to fill with light and energy, they sparkled again with a hope and shone like stars.  
  
Harry reached out his hand, touching the bars of the cage. And from where his hand came into contact with the metal, a light began to grow. It threaded it's way through the metal bars until they began to crack and splinter. Suddenly, the cage gave way, and the metal bars disintegrated like they were made of sand. Lara stared in shock as she stood up, stepping out of the rubble that had previously been her prison. Harry turned towards Voldemort, emerald eyes glittering.  
  
And at that moment, Voldemort felt the icy grip of fear.  
  
His eyes widened in horror, his face rapidly losing colour. He took several tentative steps back, intent on trying to make a break for it. But Harry would not allow it.  
  
Raising his hand, Harry felt a fresh wave of power burst free with such force he couldn't halt it. The energy exploded from his hand and hit Voldemort in the chest, it's tenticles of light threading their way through his body. The light continued to weave through his form even as the Dark Lord fell to the ground, his life line finally extinguished.  
  
But still Harry could not hold the light. It continued to flow out of him in torrents of raw energy. He walked outside the tent and was affronted with the army of Voldemort, who stared at the flowing form of the *boy who lived* in all his glory and power.  
  
Harry directed his arm over the army, the jets of light washing over them. As each of the creatures came into contact with the light, they fell to the ground, until there were none left standing.  
  
"Harry! No! Don't kill them!" Lara cried, emerging from the tent behind him.  
  
"I'm not, it's just a stunning spell." Harry said, his voice deeper and darker than Lara remembered it. He continued to let the light escape him, holding his hand up to the heavens so that the stars themselves seem to shine brighter above them.  
  
And then, suddenly, the flow of energy stopped and Harry fell to the floor, having finally used up his life source.  
  
"No!" Lara cried, running to the fallen boy and kneeling beside him. She felt his pulse, and when she realized it wasn't there her life began to crumble. She knelt over the body, her eyes absolutely bursting with tears. She began to sob uncontrollably as she felt the warm body of Harry beneath her, so alive and yet so lifeless at the same time. She felt a grief well up inside of her so all consuming that she felt her body weaken at the mere weight of it.  
  
Sitting up, she looked into Harry's face, caressing his features, running her hands through his dark hair. Her tears fell onto his cheeks as she tried to commit to memory the face of the boy she loved more than life itself.  
  
And as she watched his peaceful face slip into the palor of death, she did the only thing she could think of and began to pour her dwindling life source into his. And as her life trickled away from her and the world began to fade, a thought popped into her mind. A thought that would haunt her for the rest of her life.  
  
*If only... If only I had said it sooner I might have known true happiness.*  
  
And then the world went black.  
  
*************  
  
Draco Malfoy arrived at the army camp with several ministry wizards to see Voldemorts entire army on the ground, apparently dead. Walking towards the main tent, where most of the bodies were facing, he saw two corpses lying in front of its entrance.  
  
Harry Potter and Larrissa Black, together at last.  
  
The next few minutes were a blur for Draco. He vaguely heard ministry officials gather around the tent, inspecting the bodies. He heard the scream of the Auror who found Voldemorts body in the tent and the rush of officials trying to close off the perimiter when they discovered the army was not in fact dead, but merely stunned.  
  
But Draco didn't care. All he could focus on was the two dead bodies of Harry and Lara.  
  
************  
  
Draco wriggled in the sofa uncomfortably, painfully aware of the pictures around Dumbledores' office, their contents staring at him like children at a zoo. He was very relieved when Dumbledore finally shuffled in, looking rather flustered.  
  
"Sorry about that Draco, I've been trying to shake off those reporters all day."  
  
"They all want to hear the story don't they? About what happened?"  
  
"Yes, and I have only told them that Voldemort is dead. I do not wish to divulge further information on the subject at the moment."  
  
"You sound like you are talking to reporters again." Draco said, smiling slightly, although it was clear his heart wasn't in it.  
  
"I know." Dumbledore said simply before taking a seat on the other side of the desk. "But although they do not have a right to know what happened, you do."  
  
"So you've finally discovered what happened that night?" Draco said weakly. Dumbeldore nodded solemly.  
  
"Yes, I put a spell on Harry, Lara and Voldemort which allows me to see the last images they saw. Compiled with a few interviews with the Dark Creatures found on the field, I can acurately deduce what happened."  
  
"So..."  
  
"Once you and Mr. Potter split up, he was lead by the Vampire to the tent where Voldemort had apparated with Lara. He placed her in a cage with a special spell that..."  
  
"Absorbed any curses thrown at it, yes I've seen it." Draco said impatiently.  
  
"Yes." Dumbledore said, deciding not to dwell on Draco's rude interruption. The headmaster continued his story, much of which the Slytherin had already guessed. Near the end of the tale, however, the wizened old man began to fill in the big gaps in Draco's version of events.  
  
"So Lara," Dumbledore continued, "noticing Harry's lack of determination in fighting Voldemort, finally admitted that she did, in fact, return his love. What happens next is rather complicated.  
  
You see love, in itself, is a sort of magic. It has it's own power. In it's raw form, you could call it the most powerful magic on earth. But it's rarely pure. In the case of Harry and Lara, it was.  
  
So when Harry discovered his love was, in fact, returned, the energy inside of him began to feed off his love of Lara, until it grew to monstrous proportions. Harry used this excess magic to free Lara from her cage before turning on Voldemort, killing him.  
  
By now, the power had gotten so out of control Harry couldn't stop it, so he walked outside the tent and used the power to stun the entire army of Dark Creatures. When that was done, his energy continued to flow out until there was nothing left. And when his life source was at last emptied, he fainted.  
  
Lara, fearing to lose a love she only just realized was there, began to feed Harry the remainder of her life source, until she too blacked out. That's how you found them when you arrived." Dumbeldore said, at last finishing his tale. Draco nodded, slowly getting up from his chair and walking around the room.  
  
"Do you think they'll live?" Draco asked softly.  
  
"I don't know." Dumbledore said honestly. "When you found them they were very near death. Harry would've died instantly had Lara not kept him alive with a bit of her energy."  
  
"But they've been in a coma for two weeks damn it!" Draco exploded.  
  
"They are hanging on to life by but a thread. The healers fear to tamper with them for fear of pushing them over the edge and into death."  
  
"When can I visit them?"  
  
"That is one of the reason I called you here today. The healers have approved you visiting them, but no one else. I think perhaps that they hope a familiar voice will bring them back to consciousness."  
  
"When can I visit them?"  
  
"I have organized a portkey to leave whenever you wish."  
  
"I'll go now." Draco said promptly. Dumbeldore nodded, obviously expecting this.  
  
"Very well." He said softly, pointing to a large quill sitting on the edge of his desk. "There is your portkey. Hold it and say 'volta' when you wish to return." Dumbledore instructed as Draco reached forward and touched the quill, the headmasters office immediately spinning away.  
  
*************  
  
"I'm here to see Harry Potter and Larrissa Black?" Draco asked at the front desk of St. Mungo's Hospital.  
  
"Ah, you must be Mr. Draco Malfoy. They told me you were coming. I have great news."  
  
"You do?" Draco asked, his voice climbing an octave in his excitement.  
  
"Yes, Miss Black regained consciousness this morning. She has an almost hundred percent chance of full recovery." Draco's face split into a wild grin as he relaxed visibly, although the thought of Harry still nagged at this heart.  
  
"That's good news. So where can I find them?"  
  
"It's on this floor, down the corridor in room 3." Draco nodded before heading off down the white washed corridor, following her instructions until he reached a door with a golden three inscripted on it.  
  
He entered the room to find it much like most of the other hospital rooms that he had visited, with several neat beds and a single window at the back of the room. At the moment, the view outside was of the Eiffel Tower.  
  
However he did not pay much attention to these details, his focus instead being on the sound of Lara's voice travelling acorss the room from the bed at the end of the room, at the moment screened by a white curtain.  
  
"What do you mean I can't see him? He's a few metres away! All I want to do is talk to him."  
  
"He's in a coma dear."  
  
"I don't give!" Lara said, her voice close to hysteria. "I want to see him, I want to see if he's alright!"  
  
"He is a in a stable condition. There is nothing anyone can do for him at the moment."  
  
"How do you know? What if you've missed something! His life could depend on it!" Lara screeched. Draco chuckled as he called to the hysterical girl from the other side of the curtain.  
  
"Nice to see we've got our old temper back."  
  
"Draco?" Lara cried, her voice filled with disbelief.  
  
"The one and only." The blonde replied happily, his heart finally freeing itself after a tense two weeks of worry.  
  
"Hurry! Pull back the curtain, I want to see you!" Lara cried as Draco reached across and pulled back the white material, revealing Lara sitting up in bed looking far too alert for someone who had just woken up from a two week coma.  
  
"Hello Miss Black. Long time no see." Draco said, smiling as he sat down on the edge of the bed and embraced Lara.  
  
"Two weeks, the nurse told me."  
  
"You have no idea how glad I am that you are alive and well." Draco said, his mind still struggling to believe it. Lara's face tightened slightly at the boys words.  
  
"But he's not." Lara whispered, her eyes darting to the bed across the room from her, also obscured by a thick white curtain.  
  
"He will be. You made it, and so will he." Lara nodded slightly, although it was obvious she was struggling to believe it.  
  
"I'm so scared Draco, I'm so scared of losing him."  
  
"I know you are, now that you've finally admitted you love him. Let's ignore the fact that he was staring death in the face when you did."  
  
"You know what happened?"  
  
"Dumbledore did some funny spell to see the last images you experienced."  
  
"Yeah I know the one." Lara said softly, a silence falling over the pair. "I can't believe I took so long to say it though." She said after a while.  
  
"Neither can anyone else."  
  
"I can't stop thinking about all the moments of joy and happiness I may never have, all because I was too stupid to... to..." But Lara couldn't continue with the sentence, as a fresh wave of tears began to flow out of her eyes.  
  
"You will experience them, he's not dead. And he's not going to die." Draco said softly, holding out his arms and enveloping her in another embrace.  
  
"I know." Lara said hoarsly, trying to convince herself that her words were true.  
  
"Do you mind if I... if I see him for a bit?"  
  
"No, go ahead." Lara said, lying back down in her bed as Draco got up and walked over to Harry's, disappearing behind the curtain.  
  
Behind the white barrier, Draco grabbed a nearby chair and sat down slowly, not taking his eyes of the sleeping form of Harry.  
  
"You and me, are very different." Draco said, not asking himself why he was talking to someone in a coma, but feeling that he needed to say some things to Harry that he might never get another chance to say.  
  
"You are good at heart." Draco continued, leaning forward in his chair. "You don't have to try and you show compassion and kindness. But me? I have to work my ass off to do something good. I suppose it all comes down to reputation. Mine is very different from yours in that respect. You're the son of one of the most renowned wizards ever to live, and I'm the son of the most hated wizard alive, next to Voldemort of course." Draco took a deep breath, letting the words flow out of him easily.  
  
"I suppose I should stop here and simply say I'm sorry. Sorry for all the rotten things I've done. But then I think, you weren't particularly nice to me either. I think we just got off on the wrong foot, and it sort of escalated from there. You can't really blame anyone, it's just the playings of fate." Draco said thoughtfully, pausing to take a good look at Harry.  
  
"But these last few weeks. I could almost call you a friend. We've been there for each other; out on the field with Voldemort we worked together. For the first time. And it wasn't as bad as I imagined it." Draco said, smiling slightly at the thought. If he had known he would be saying these things to Harry a year ago, he probably would've gagged.  
  
"That doesn't mean you aren't a prat sometimes though. I mean this thing with Lara. Could either of you have been anymore stupid? It was so bloody obvious you were madly in love with her, and vice versa. But neither of you did anything about it. No... correction..... you did do something, only it was too late to actually enjoy it. There you were, staring death right in the face, and you finally had the guts to tell her. Congratulations mate." Draco said sarcastically.  
  
"I do wonder what Lara is going to do if you don't pull through." Draco said softly, ensuring Lara couldn't hear what he was saying although he had a feeling this particular curtain was sound proofed to stop sneeking reports overhearing the healers conversations.  
  
"I mean I've been talking to Dumbledore about this love of yours, and I highly doubt she could go on living without you after all this, feeling the way she does. You are her bloody other half for goodness sake." Draco felt tears well up in his eyes as he watched Harry's shallow breathing, trying to convine himself it was not getting any shallower.  
  
"You've gotta live through this mate! You can't die, you just can't! For her sake, and for Hermione and Ron's, Ginnys and Sirius's, and... and mine." Draco cried, a single tear finally escaping it's dam and slowly rolling down his cheek. "As much as I hate to admit it, you've become something like a friend, someone I don't want to have to suffer the death of. Damn it Harry! Just wake up!" Draco yelled, standing up from his chair suddenly.  
  
He took one last look at Harry's peaceful face before pulling away the curtain and stepping out of the room it made. Quickly wiping away the remnants of the single tear's path from his cheek, he walked back to Lara's bed and sat down.  
  
"Did you hear anything?" Draco asked softly, controlling the emotion in his voice.  
  
"No, the stupid curtain is sound proofed. I can't hear what the healers say about Harry and his status. I haven't even seen him, they keep the curtain closed." Lara said bitterly.  
  
"I understand, just hold on. You'll be out of here soon." Draco said soothingly.  
  
"A day or two and I can go back to Hogwarts, although I need a few days rest before I can return to classes." Lara supplied, feeling slightly happier at this thought.  
  
"Hold on to that thought, okay?" Lara nodded in reply. "Good, I'd better be returning to Hogwarts, but I will see you either tomorrow or the day after, okay?" Draco said encouragingly.  
  
"Okay, goodbye." Lara said softly, embracing him lightly before he got up and made his way out of the room.  
  
************  
  
"Hermione! Ron!" Lara cried happily, making a motion to stand but being held down by Draco firmly.  
  
"You aren't to strain yourself." He said warningly. Lara frowned, crossing her arms in impatience as she waited for Hermione and Ron to cross the common room and reach the couch where she lay. She had come back from the hospital that morning, although was under strict instructions to stay in bed.  
  
"Oh Lara, we heard what happened."  
  
"Draco just can't keep his mouth shut can he?" Lara said, attempting to be funny although it was plainly obvious her heart wasn't in it.  
  
"Don't beat him up over it, Dumbledore gave him permission to tell us and Gin." Hermione said softly, immediately recognizing the mood Lara was in and why.  
  
She couldn't really blame her though. She was in the same state of mind herself.  
  
*********  
  
"Have you spoken to Sirius?" Ron asked the next day. He had dropped by during lunch to check on Lara, as had become his habit, along with Hermione, Draco and Ginny. None of them wished to face the Hogwarts students and their gossip, always speculating what had happened that night, trying to get the truth out of the quartet. However none of them spoke of the events, as it was too painful for them. Especially with Harry remaining in the state he was in.  
  
"Yeah, he dropped by the hospital several times and came by last night."  
  
"How is he?"  
  
"Worried, like we all are. He demanded to know what happened, and is throwing a fit at Dumbledore for allowing it to happen." Lara said, smiling faintly at her protective father.  
  
"Sounds like Sirius." Ron said, although his voice was missing the usual personality behind it. An uncomfortable silence descended on them as they ate the lunch provided for them in silence, each thinking the same thing but afraid to voice it. It was Lara who finally overcame this fear.  
  
"I wish he would just wake up. I hate this waiting." She said croakily, stunning the occupants of the common room with her sudden mention of Harry.  
  
"I know. I wish the healers could do something more." Ginny said, continuing the topic of conversation.  
  
"They're avoiding it, because they don't want to push Harry over the edge." Draco said, repeating the information Dumbledore had supplied to him a few days ago.  
  
"But what if something they do could save him?" Hermione questioned.  
  
"We just have to hope they know what they're doing." Ron said, although his voice didn't sound like he did.  
  
As another silence descended on the common room, Lara fell deep into thought.  
  
*Oh Harry!* She thought wearily. *Why are you doing this to us? To me?* 


	24. Some visits and revelations

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE  
  
Lara had demanded to see Dumbledore as soon as she was mobile enough. The headmaster, although reluctant to see the girl who had so nearly escaped death be out and about so soon, allowed it in light of the circumstances.  
  
"It's not meant to be like this." Lara said before Dumbledore had even noticed her arrival. He had been looking through his telescope in a corner of his office and had not heard or seen Lara come in and settle herself on the chair.  
  
"What isn't?" Dumbledore said patiently, his lack of shock at suddenly finding Lara sitting in his office suggesting he had, in fact, noticed her prescence.  
  
"Love. It's not supposed to work like this. The prophecy said my love and Harry's would be greater than all the loves that ever was."  
  
"Wasn't it?" Dumbledore said in much the same tone, removing his eye from the telescope and making his way to his chair on the other side of the desk, sitting down gracefully.  
  
"We barely had time to enjoy it. We were barely given a chance to truly love." Lara cried, her frustrations over the situation finally flowing out of her.  
  
"But that does not diminsh your love in any way. The brief period of time in which your love bloomed proved it to be very strong, perhaps enough to satisfy the prophecy."  
  
"So that's it then? He's going to die?"  
  
"I did not say that. I am merely pointing out that all the prophecies have been fulfilled. What happens now I cannot guess."  
  
"It can't end like this." Lara said hoarsly, letting her head sink between her knees.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because it's unfair!"  
  
"Life's not meant to be fair Lara."  
  
"Yes, but once in a while the workings of fate cut we mere mortals some slack. But fate can't seem to bring itself to allow me that priveldge can it?"  
  
"I think, perhaps, you are seeing this from the negative view."  
  
"THERE IS NO POSITIVE SIDE TO SEE IT FROM!" Lara roared.  
  
"Harry is not dead yet. There is your positive. You experienced a love that few encounter in their entire lifetimes. There is your positive."  
  
"But it hurts Dumbledore. It hurts so bad." Lara croaked, calming down.  
  
"But if you could give up your love for Harry to do away with this pain, would you do it?"  
  
"Of course not." Lara replied without hesitation.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Is this all love is? This pain? This suffering?"  
  
"You tell me." Lara stopped at this comment, thinking about Dumbledore's last words.  
  
"You're right." She said simply after a while. "It's not all pain and suffering, but that's not to say it isn't part of it. And in my case, it's a big part of it."  
  
"Fate works in strange ways...." Dumbledore said solemly.  
  
"Do you reckon fate just woke up and thought, 'I'm going to make some stupid prophecy about love to annoy the hell out of some little girl and make her life a living nightmare."  
  
"No. I think fate forsaw what would happen to the future if Voldemort was not stopped. I think it knew only the sort of power love can summon could stop him, and so it hand picked you, along with Harry, to be the saviours of the world. And I don't think you let fate down."  
  
"Well good for it. But I'm still hurting, more than I have ever hurt in my life."  
  
"To love is to make yourself vulnerable my dear. You've opened your heart up Lara, as much as it kills you to admit it. But you've got to risk something to gain something. You're risking being hurt again for the chance that you and Harry still have a hope for a future, for happiness."  
  
"The worst bit is even if I wanted to give up, I can't. Because I felt love, I felt a few brief moments of it's delicious warmth and I discovered it's everthing it's cracked up to be. It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for."  
  
"Of course it is. Or what would we be fighting to save?" Dumbledore said simply. Lara nodded in response, a few tears beginning their journey down her cheek as a heavy silence enveloped them. "Do you want to see him?" The headmaster asked abruptly, slicing the silence. Lara looked up at him, a faint hope beginning to glimmer in her eyes.  
  
"Can I?"  
  
"I think it is about time you did." Dumbledore said before turning to a portrait behind him and whispering some instructions to it. When the conversation was finished, the man in the picture dissappeared in his frame as Dumbledore turned back to Lara.  
  
"He has an adjoining painting of himself in St. Mungos, he's going to advise them of your arrival." Lara nodded, watching as Dumbledore took out his wand from his pocket and cast a quite charm on a quill sitting on the corner of his desk. The quill was, in fact, the same one which had transported Draco, but Lara did not know that.  
  
"When you want to return, hold the quill and say...."  
  
"Volta, yes I know." Lara interrupted. Dumbledore nodded before motioning for her to touch the quill. Lara obeyed, feeling the familiar tug behind her navel as the world spun away.  
  
***********Meanwhile***********  
  
"Draco?" The red head asked softly, leaning into his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his waist, enjoying the warmth of his body against hers. He in turn wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.  
  
"Yes Gin?" He replied as he stared out at the lake they were standing in front of.  
  
"Do you think he'll be alright?" She whispered.  
  
"I know he will." Draco said, holding on to the girl in his arms tightly.  
  
"How can you be so sure?"  
  
"I have to hope Ginny. Or what am I holding on to?"  
  
"Me." She replied. Draco's heart smiled at this, a smile that gradually spread until it inhabited his face.  
  
"And you'll always be there for me? No matter what happens? No matter who my father is?" He winced at this last thought.  
  
"Of course I will." Draco's heart skipped a beat as a warm and comfortable silence descended upon them. It was in that moment that his soul, having been tormented for weeks over Harry's state, at last gained a moments rest. He at last felt the soft tenticles of happiness enfold his mind and heart, enveloping him in its embrace.  
  
"I love you." He whispered.  
  
"I love you too." She replied, lifting up her head to face Draco. He smiled down at her, leaning in to kiss her gently. He couldn't believe that with all the sorrow that he had experienced in his life, he had managed to find a girl as wonderful as Ginny. He felt the warmth flow from her lips and onto his, assuring him of what she said before. She would always be there for him, and he in turn would always be there for her.  
  
As they broke away, when the need for oxygen became too great, he immediately felt a great loss. Leaning in again, he captured her lips in another kiss, this time far more fervant and fiery. They clung to each other in desperate need, fearing to let go for a reason beyond their comprehension.  
  
*************************  
  
"Ron?" Hermione questioned, her head resting on his chest. They were lying in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room, enjoying each other's company. She had her head on his chest, and her arms around his waist.  
  
"Yes Herm..." He said dozily, playing with the strands of long, smooth hair that fell on her shoulders.  
  
"Do you think that Lara is going to be alright? I mean, if Harry doesn't pull through, it's going to kill her."  
  
"I know. But she has us, and Sirius."  
  
"But Ron, she loves him, she loves him more than anything in the world. If he dies...."  
  
"He's going to be okay Hermione. He's going to pull through."  
  
"But what if..."  
  
"Don't. There is never going to be a what if. He is going to live." Ron said determindly. Hermione nodded slightly, cuddling closer to him. With his spare hand, Ron gently pushed her chin up so that her lips were centimetres from hers. Leaning down, he breached the gap between them, kissing her sensually, exploring every inch of her mouth.  
  
And this small moment of peace and tranquility meant the world to Ron. In light of all that had happened, of all the suffering and death, the need to hold on to love and happiness was all the more stronger. Reluctantly, as if not wanting the moment to end, Ron pulled back for a breath.  
  
"You know, I don't think I've ever felt happier in my life than when I'm with you."  
  
"I know what you mean. I feel the same. But as much as it wants to, my soul can't rest easy. Not with Harry in the state he's in...." Hermione replied, tears trickling down her face.  
  
"Hey, it's okay." Ron said softly, holding her close. "And no matter what happens, we'll be there for each other."  
  
"Always."  
  
"Always." Hermione relaxed in the embrace of her boyfriend, delighting in the feel of his chest rising and falling beneath her.  
  
"You and me have been pretty lucky you know." Ron said suddenly. Hermione turned towards him.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I was watching Ginny and Draco before they left. You should have seen her face Hermione. She was in so much pain, and I was thinking, we didn't go through that."  
  
"Thank goodness..."  
  
"I know. But to see that pain on her face....man. And Harry and Lara..."  
  
"They waited until too late. And now.... now they might never feel what we've been lucky enough to experience...." Hermione finished softly.  
  
"Love." Ron mused, smiling slightly.  
  
"Yes, love." Hermione said determindly, holding her boyfriend close. "I love you Ronald Weasley."  
  
"I love you too Hermione Granger." Ron whispered back, trying to hold back the tears that were unwillingly building up in his eyes. Hermione, however, had no need to refrain her tears, and so let them flow in torrents down her cheek.  
  
The droplets spilled onto Ron's shirt, although he didn't care. Tilting her head slightly, Ron kissed the tears away softly.  
  
"Don't worry Herm...everything will be alright."  
  
********************  
  
Slowly, her fingers trembling, Lara pulled away the curtain and laid her eyes on the sleeping form of Harry. Her heart pained as she saw the serene expression on his face, it's perfection only marred by the small scar on his forehead.  
  
And then the tears began to fall, big wet droplets that splashed down her cheeks before landing on Harry. She sat down next to him on the bed, leaning across his chest and sobbing uncontrollably. She clutched at his shirt, the same he had been wearing that awful night. His shoulder, although already healed perfectly, was still soaked with dried blood.  
  
"Harry, you can't leave me here." Lara whispered softly. "You just can't!" She cried, sitting up again. Slowly, she took his hand in hers and gently bought it to her lips. She kissed his fingertips lightly, enjoying the feel of his rough fingers in her own.  
  
"I wonder what would've happen if life had given us a chance. If we had been allowed to be happy." She said sadly. "I swear Harry, if you live through this... gosh I don't know what I'd do..." Lara said exasperatedly. "I'll sing in front of the entire planet! I'll love you for the rest of my life. No, for longer than that, I'll love you for all eternity!" Lara cried, her heart buckling under the enormous pressure it was under.  
  
"But you have to wake up, Harry. You gotta pull through or I don't think I will." Lara croaked, before wrapping her arms around him and collapsing onto his chest.  
  
It was there that the nurse found her several hours later, fast asleep on the bed next to a wide awake Harry Potter.  
  
******************  
  
The hospital was in chaos. As soon as the nurse discovered Harry Potter awake, she raised the alarm and several healers came rushing to his ward, throwing aside the curtain that blocked him from view. .  
  
"Hurry, he's awake!"  
  
"What's that girl doing there? Get her off him!" A healer said, as another drew out his wand and levitated Lara to the bed she had occupied during her previous stay.  
  
"No, keep her here!" Harry cried, sitting up.  
  
"Mr Potter you need to rest, now lay back down and...."  
  
"NO! I want her here... I want to talk to her..."  
  
"She's sleeping now Mr. Potter, you can talk later. Now please, lay back down." Harry sighed, finally defeated.  
  
"How long have I been here?"  
  
"Almost four weeks." One of the healers said patiently as he checked Harry's temperature and blood pressure.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yes, we feared you wouldn't make it."  
  
"And Lara? How long has she been awake?"  
  
"Almost two weeks now since we dismissed her."  
  
"Is she alright?"  
  
"Yes Mr. Potter, now please sit still! We're more concerned for you health at this present moment."  
  
"Well I'm not!" Harry said angrily. "I want to see her!"  
  
"Please calm down!" The same healer said, oviously getting infuriated. "Andrew!" He said, turning to another male healer standing behind him.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Wake that girl up and send her back to Hogwarts. He'll never get any rest with her..."  
  
"No! She's got to stay! Please!" Harry cried, but it was too late. The healer walked towards Lara's bed, picking her up gently and carrying her out of the hospital room.  
  
And all through the chaos of the healers and Harry's frantic cries, she did not stir once.  
  
***********************  
  
Lara was fed up with the entire situation. Dumbledore refused to let her see Harry, and she had no idea why. After a very perplexing first visit, in which she had fallen asleep next to him and woken up in her dormitory, the headmaster had refused to allow Lara to see the boy again. Her efforts at convincing Dumbledore otherwise came to no avail, and she simply could not understand it.  
  
"Have you visited him at all?" She whispered to Ron and Hermione, who were sitting next to her in Potions the day after her curious visit to St. Mungos. She had been attending her first classes that week after several months break.  
  
"No, we're not allowed to." Ron whispered back, lowering his voice as Snape prowled past them. They were making a particularly difficult potion in class that day, and Lara had paired up with Draco (who had been all but rejected by his fellow house mates because of his friendship with the Gryffindors).  
  
"Dumbledore had said he would let me visit him after you, but I asked him this morning and he refused." Draco whispered as he handed Lara his crushed up beetle shells, who in turn poured it into the bubbling yellow mixture.  
  
"Cut up the roots next." Lara said, slightly louder as she didn't mind if Snape overheard this part of the conversation.  
  
"I know I know." Draco said impatiently as he pulled the roots towards him.  
  
"That's really weird though." Hermione said, joining the conversation. "I've never known Dumbledore to suddenly change his mind like that."  
  
"He's keeping something from me, I can feel it." Lara said.  
  
"He would.... he would tell us if Harry.... if he... you know...." Ron said, his fale paling slightly at the thought.  
  
"Of course he would." Lara snapped, although she too paled at his words. "He wouldn't keep something like that from us."  
  
"Wouldn't he?" Hermione whispered, the anxiety on her face clearly evident. 


	25. Of love and its consequences

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR  
  
With the Yule Ball only a day away, Hogwarts came alive. Teachers could be seen scurring up and down corridors, frantically organizing last minute details. Random decorations began appearing throughout the Great Hall and on the lawns outside, and the atmosphere of the students was beyond excitement. None of the girls could stop talking about what their dress robes looked like, and none of the boys could stop bragging about how good looking their date was.  
  
All, that is, except for one group of friends who had bigger things on their mind. Draco, Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Lara were sitting in her dormitory the Friday before the Yule Ball, doing homework that they most certainly would not get done the following night.  
  
"Are you still going Lara?" Draco asked halfway through their study session, obviously taking a break from his Transfiguration essay as he put his quill down and leaned back against his chair.  
  
"I wasn't going to, but the thought of staying here alone is even more daunting." Lara said, also putting down her quill and doing a quick stretch. "It's going to be so boring though."  
  
"Don't worry, I'll dance with you." Draco said reassuringly  
  
"Yeah I will too, don't worry!" Ron said, smiling as big a smile as any of them could conjure up these days.  
  
"Thanks guys."  
  
"So what are you wearing?" Hermione said, trying to sound bright and cheerful, although only half suceeding.  
  
"It's a surprise. I hand picked it out months ago because I wanted to impress.... impress Harry." Lara said, her voice croaking slightly at the mention of his name.  
  
"Oh Lara." Hermione said tearfully.  
  
"Don't." She said, not wanting the conversation to go down that road. Hermione nodded, tactfuly keeping her mouth shut.  
  
"I think we'd better head off to bed." Draco said carefully, getting up and leading Ginny out of the room.  
  
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow Lara." Ron said, giving her a quick wave before heading out the door, shortly followed by Hermione.  
  
Lara flopped back down on the couch, trying not to think about Harry. But it was no use, he was the only thing that invaded her mind these days... Harry, lying in hospital, not moving, barely breathing...  
  
*Enough Lara! You'll get nowhere down that road* She though angrily to herself. Instead, her thoughts turned to tomorrow.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
She wasn't sure if she was excited to be going or not. Sure, she was looking forward to dressing up and dancing, what girl wasn't. But without Harry it wouldn't be the same. With Harry in the state he was in, she just couldn't bring herself to be excited about anything.  
  
Thus it was with a heavy heart that she began to get ready for the ball the following night...  
  
The robes she had picked out where a brilliant emerld green, exactly like Harry's eyes. This was the reason she had picked them out in the first place. With these robes she had a gold necklace and gold drops in her ears, while her hair she left out, cascading in soft curls down her back.  
  
Lara was, needless to say, looking absolutely stunning. But on her way out of the dormitory, she barely glanced at her reflection as she passed the mirror. Her heart simply wasn't in it.  
  
Arriving at the Great Hall, she met her friends outside before entering.  
  
The hall was looking beautiful.  
  
The crystal clear night was embedded with stars, and the floor had been spelled a deep midnight blue, and the stars over head reflected themselves in it's marble depths. Silver streamers had been bewitched to glide over head like flying snakes, and every once in a while would explode in a shower of glitter.  
  
The four long house tables had been replaced by several smaller, round tables, and they were decorated with silver and black table clothes, each sporting expensive looking plates and cutlery as well as a sparkling silver candelabra.  
  
The two couples and Lara made their way to one of the tables near the dance floor and sat themselves down, joined shortly afterwards by Dean, Lavender, Seamus and Parvati. Lara forced her face into a permanent grin, joining in the polite conversation their table shared.  
  
Glancing around the table, she inspected everyone's dress, half an ear listening to the conversation at the table.  
  
Ginny and Draco were both wearing blue robes, although while his were a deep blue, Ginny had opted for a paler version of the color. Her flaming red hair had been piled in a heap on her head, threaded with ribbons of blue.  
  
"No way! The cannons are a sure fire to win!" Ron exclaimed indignantly, one arm around Hermione who was wearing vibrant red robes, her bushy hair sleeked back in an elegant bun. Ron's vibrant hair was looking startling against his deep purple robes, although not in a bad way.  
  
"That's ridiculous! What are you smoking Weasley! Have you seen how Puddlemere is playing? The tournaments theirs!" Seamus yelled back, sitting next to his date, Lavender, who was wearing, ironically, lavender robes. Seamus himself was wearing forest green robes.  
  
"You're both insane. It's the Lanchesters cup!" Dean cried, his comment receiving words of outrage from all the male occupants of the table. He was wearing bright blue robes, a stark contrast against Parvati's champagne coloured ones.  
  
"Moving the conversation away from Quidditch...." Hermione said pointedly, making her dislike of the topic of conversation obvious.  
  
"Yeah! So Hermione, what did you buy on your last Hogsmeade visit?" Ginny said, purposely picking an area of conversation she knew the boys would dislike.  
  
But the roars of outrage from the boys were quickly silenced as Dumbledore stood up to make the opening announcements.  
  
"Now I know you are all very eager to start eating, so I'll make this brief. Tuck in!" He said cheerfully, before sitting down again. The hall erupted in cheers at this pleasantly short speech before quieting down as the students began to order their meals.  
  
"Chicken!" Hermione cried, and immediately a plate of steaming poultry appeared on her plate.  
  
"Beef." Lara cried, and a large T-bone steak appeared on hers. Her stomach growling in appreciation, she picked up her knife and fork and attacked her plate, all the while thinking how much better it would all be if Harry was there.  
  
"Now that we're all nice and full, the head boy and girl can open the dance with their partners." Dumbledore said happily, motioning for Angelina and the head boy, Ted Hardy, to begin the dance with their partners.  
  
The Three Witches, the famous wizarding band that Dumbledore had hired, begun to strike up a boppy tune. The head boy and girl danced for several minutes on their own before other couples began to join them on the dance floor.  
  
"Well my dear, would you care to dance?" Ron said romantically, extending his hand out to Hermione. She smiled happily, allowing him to escort her out of her seat and onto the dance floor. Seamus and Lavender also got up to dance, and they were soon followed by Parvati and Dean.  
  
Draco and Ginny remained at the table, obviously eager to dance but just as unwillingly to leave Lara alone.  
  
"Aren't you guys going to dance?"  
  
"Well... yeah but..." Draco said slowly.  
  
"You don't want to leave me, is that it?" Lara asked. Ginny nodded. "Guys, seriously, go out there and dance. Have fun, you need it, we all need it."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes! Now go!" Lara said, smiling. Draco gave her one last sympathetic look before leading Ginny onto the dancefloor. Lara watched them go away with a mixture of sadness and jealousy in her heart.  
  
*I just want this night to end. All these couples around me, dancing and laughing. How come they get to be happy? Why them and not me?*  
  
*****************  
  
"Please, I'm already an hour late! Just let me go!" Harry roared, struggling from the iron grip of the healer.  
  
"I just have one last thing to check up on! Please just hold on a few minutes longer."  
  
"YOU'VE BEEN SAYING THAT ALL WEEK! I WANT TO SEE LARA!" Harry yelled.  
  
"You will, tonight. But just hold on a few minutes. You've waited a week, you can wait a few minutes more." The healer said patiently as he placed his hands over Harry's head, using his magic to check for any damages to the brain or skull. When the healer finally released Harry, the boy absolutely sprinted down the hallway to the room where his portkey was waiting.  
  
"Ah, Mr. Potter, you've arrived."  
  
"Yes, finally, now which one's mine?" Harry asked hurriedly, looking at the assorted objects spread throughout the table top. The room he was in was just down the corridor from his own, occupied by only a single chair and a single wooden table. The table was laden with several portkeys that would take residents of the hospital to wherever they wanted. Harry had requested a special one take him to Hogwrats.  
  
"That one there." The wizard sitting on the chair said, pointing to a small muggle medicine cup amongst the objects.  
  
"Thank you." Harry said.  
  
"I know, I know, eager to go. I would be too if I was holed up in a hospital, not being able to see my girlfriend." The wizard said, smiling as he leant back in his chair.  
  
"She's not my girlfriend, she's the love of my life." Harry corrected, reaching forward to touch the medicine girl.  
  
"Poor girl though, she must be killing herself right now." Harry paused, his arm centimetres from the cup.  
  
"What?"  
  
"About you, she's still worried."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"You mean you haven't been told? She doesn't know you're awake, and Dumbledore's forbidden anyone to tell her."  
  
"Why?" Harry said evenly, struggling to control his anger.  
  
"Because he was scared you might not pull through, and he didn't want to get her hopes up." The wizard replied. "Or that's what I heard." Harry was fuming mad by this stage.  
  
*That bloody headmaster...* Harry thought murderously.  
  
"Why are you all dressed up?" The wizard asked suddenly, stopping Harry from grabbing the cup a second time.  
  
"I'm late for a ball." Harry said simply, reaching forward and touching the medicine vial before the wizard could come up with any more irrelevant questions.  
  
Feeling the tug behind his navel, Harry saw the world spin away from him in a flurry of colours and shapes before his feet slammed onto solid ground. He suddenly found himself back at Hogwarts, in the Great Hall to be precise, and judging by the sound coming from the door to his left the ball was already well under way.  
  
Harry threw the medicine cup away, not caring where it landed. He walked towards the double doors, his deep black robes swishing behind him. Slowly opening one of the massive doors, he let himself into the hall, taking a second to let his eyes sweep over the decorations before searching for Lara.  
  
She was not hard to find. Sitting alone at the table, fiddling with a crytal glass in her hands. She was watching the couples on the dance floor with a look that could only be described jealousy, and Harry understood exactly why.  
  
His heart thundering in his chest, Harry walked towards her slowly, enjoying the sight of her beautiful face. As she got closer, his world seemed to stop. The music faded insignificantly into the background, and all the other people in the room disappeared until all he saw was Lara.  
  
Reaching the table, he stood next to her and cleared his throat, but she did not looked up and register who it was.  
  
"Hey." He said softly. Lara's face immediately snapped up at his greeting, recognizing the voice. She looked to the boy above her and was affronted with the two emerald green eyes she had been longing to see for too long.  
  
"H....Harry?" She whispered, standing up and turning towards him. She stared at his face in shock, her heart struggling to believe it really was her Harry, standing there, alive. She reached up and stroked his face, feeling the familiar contours of his features and the soft texture of his hair beneath her fingers.  
  
"It's me." He said, placing his hand on top of hers, which was at the moment resting on his cheek.  
  
"It.... it can't be." She croaked, not taking her hand away from the spot where it rested.  
  
"It can, and it is." Harry said. "You just gotta believe." Lara felt tears begin to fall down her cheeks, tears not of sorrow as they had been these past months, but of pure happiness.  
  
"Harry." She said the name simply as a statement, loving the feel of his name on her lips. She didn't ask how he got there, how he was suddenly alive and standing in front of her. Quite frankly, she didn't care. All that mattered to her was that he was there, in that moment, in that instant.  
  
Harry opened his mouth to speak, to let the words that he had been dying to speak finally spill themselves out from his soul. But he couldn't. He couldn't find the words to say all he wanted to say. No words in the English dictionary could do justice to the emotions bursting from his heart.  
  
So he gave up on words and their crude methods of expression. Instead, he leant down and kissed her gently on the lips, so softly she had barely felt their prescence before he drew back.  
  
Unsatisfied with this tantilizing kiss, Lara hooked her arms around his neck, drawing him closer. Smiling, Harry placed his hands around her waist, closing the final gap between them and capturing her lips in their first true kiss.  
  
Years into the future, Lara would try and describe what that kiss, and the millions that followed, felt like. But to put into words the feeling of Harry's lips against hers was like describing the color red to someone who has never seen it.  
  
You can't.  
  
You have to experience that raw passion that wells up in the very pits of your soul as you feel their lips pressed against yours, feel their tongue teasing yours, feel their warmth heat up the very depths of your heart.  
  
You have to know what it feels like to love someone so completely you'd give up everything you are for a moment of their happiness. To love someone so deeply you'd fight against the entire world to keep them by your side.  
  
And once you've felt these things, then perhaps you can begin to understand the sort of kiss Lara and Harry shared that night, and every night after that.  
  
"I love you." Harry whispered.  
  
"I love you too."  
  
And that was all that needed to be said.  
  
OKIES GUYZ THAT WOZ THE VERY LAST CHAPPY. I WONDER WOT YOU ALL THOUGHT ABOUT IT. PLZ R/R AND TELL ME BECAUSE I AM THINKING OF WRITING A SEQUEL, BUT I NEED TO KNOW IF YOU THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD OR IF YOU THINK THAT A SEQUEL WOULD RUIN THE WAY THAT THE STORY FLOWS.  
  
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL MY FABULOUS REVIEWERS, YOU ALL MEAN SO MUCH AND I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN STUFFED TO WRITE THIS HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR YOU.  
  
ESPECIALLY THANX TO NATTY, WHO ACTUALLY WROTE THIS, I DIDN'T. BUT I HELPED...I PROMISE!  
  
AND FINALLY THANX TO DREAM-SIREN, ALTHOUGH U THINK I AM TOTALLY PATIENCELESS I THANK U FOR YOUR HELP.  
  
SEQUEL OR NO?  
  
R/R TO LET ME NO!!!! 


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